


Until the End Of Time

by samarielvonvestra (estychan)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Oral Sex, Post-Time Skip, Sex, Slight canon divergence in later chapters, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2020-09-06 08:20:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 51,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20288356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/estychan/pseuds/samarielvonvestra
Summary: Byleth has been back with the Black Eagle Strike Force for a month after a five-year slumber, and she has barely gotten any sleep since. The cause of her sleeplessness: her secret love for Hubert von Vestra, Emperor Edelgard's closest advisor.In the process of writing a letter to him, she receives a late-night visit from the man himself...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been obsessed with this game for like a week now, and I just had to write a Byleth/Hubert smut fic. There aren't nearly enough of them on here... 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> UPDATE 8/19/19: I had to change the length of time for Byleth's return from a week to a month, due to a conflict of timelines in a later chapter. Not a huge change, but I wanted you all to be aware of it regardless.

It was a relatively quiet night at Garreg Mach. The sky was clear, with a brilliant, full moon high overhead, bathing the gardens in an ethereal glow. The majority of the Black Eagle Strike Force was asleep, but Byleth remained wide awake. She had slept for five whole years; she was done with sleep.

She sat by her window, lost in thought with a lit candle beside her on her desk. In her hand, a quill was poised over a blank piece of parchment. Scattered around her on the floor were several more pieces of parchment, crumpled up and tossed aside to be disposed of later. She sighed, brow furrowed and lips set in a pensive frown. The candlelight danced across her youthful features, which were completely unchanged and gave almost no concrete answer as to her age.

Why was writing this letter so difficult for her? She couldn't understand it. She had thought writing it all out would be easier than saying it in person, but much to her dismay, that wasn't the case. Defeated, she replaced the quill in its inkwell and leaned back in her chair, absently toying with a lock of her seafoam-colored hair.

_ What's the point? Even if I were able to write it down, I doubt it would matter. There's only one woman he truly cares about. _

Byleth was mildly ashamed at the thought. She cared about Edelgard and had the utmost respect for her; she was one of the strongest women she had ever known. She had been through so much in her young life, but still she fought and always got up stronger than before. In all the time she had known her, she had never once envied her about anything. Until now.

Well… that was only partially true. Even before she had unknowingly disappeared and left her dear students to fend for themselves in the war against the Church, she had started to develop feelings for Hubert. Truthfully, they had frightened her at the time. Shortly after she was brought on as a professor, he had relayed the thought _ to her _of personally putting an end to her life if she proved detrimental to Edelgard's ambition in any way.

Over time though, he started to lighten up around her, even if only by a small amount. The lack of trust was still there, but something in the way he looked at her with those sharp, green eyes was a bit less intense and intimidating the more she spent time with him. She began to watch him a bit more closely during lessons. He was her best student, grasping new concepts with impressive ease and executing them with near flawless precision. 

It was during those lessons that she began to notice just how attractive he actually was, and wondered why she had never seen it before. Those high cheekbones, the jet black hair, those piercing eyes, that disciplined poise, that chilling voice… Any time he spoke, it sent a small tremor through her very core.

Then she saw him smile one time — not his usual smirk that claimed to know each and every one of her deepest secrets and fears — and that was it for her. Even though the smile had been directed at Edelgard seemingly without her knowledge, Byleth longed to see more of it, only this time, toward herself. It was an uncertain smile — subdued — but it made her smile to see it.

Then, that fateful day arrived where they learned the truth of the Church of Seiros and of the archbishop.

She remembered Rhea's transformation into The Immaculate One, and of her preparing to attack… but after that, all she remembered was Hubert's voice calling out to her. _ "Professor, take cover!" _Something about his tone had stood out to her at the time, and she had turned her head to look at him. After that, everything went black.

Now, here she was: five years later and completely unchanged even though her students had grown. Hubert had always been imposing and a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but now he was like a force of nature when he fought. In her absence, he had become so strong, and now, so had her feelings for him. They had grown so much, she could not hold them inside any longer.

Hubert _ had _ to know how she felt, even if he was likely to reject her. That probability loomed over her like a shadow; a terrifying shadow that threatened to swallow her whole. What would she do if he rejected her? What would _ he _ do? What if he actually accepted her feelings, or even reciprocated them? What would she do then?

So many thoughts buzzing around in her head at once made her head hurt, and she hid her face in her hands with a frustrated groan.

One thing was absolutely certain: she could not face him like _ this _— 

_ Knock-knock-knock. _

The sound of knocking on her bedroom door made her jump and nearly topple her chair. She got up quickly but quietly and gathered up all of the crumpled letters on the floor, tossing them into the fireplace. She straightened up, standing in the center of her room with her hands clasped lightly before her. She couldn't let any of her students see her in a state of such disarray and turmoil.

"Come in," she called out evenly. The door opened and once she saw who was standing there, her unbeating heart dropped into her stomach.

_ Hubert. _

"I apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour, Professor," he said as he took a couple of steps into the room. He was wearing a black tunic with gold-embroidered cuffs and matching trousers, which was simpler than he usually wore but still made it clear he had not slept a wink either.

Byleth smiled slightly and shook her head. "It's fine. Is something the matter, Hubert?" She watched as he closed the door behind him and took a few steps further into the room, examining his surroundings indifferently for a moment before turning that sharp gaze back to her. 

"Nothing in particular. I merely wanted to ensure you are settling into your new quarters. However—" He glanced toward the bed, noting that it still had not been touched. "— I am concerned that you are not sleeping. You have been with us for over a month now, and you have not slept more than a handful of days during that time, by my counting."

Byleth noted that he'd just said he was concerned about her and she gave him a reassuring smile. She truly had not slept for more than a few days in the month she had been back at the monastery, and any of those hours where she slept had been sitting at her desk, not laying down in her bed.

"How kind of you to worry about me, but I'm fine. Really. I mean, I was asleep for five years."

Hubert chuckled quietly. "That is true, but regardless, you have looked very tired the past few days." 

His expression became more serious as he moved to stand by the window, placing a hand on the sill and looking out over the monastery gardens.

"We will be marching in just two days' time, Professor. If you are tired, you won't be at your best when it comes time to battle Claude's forces. Surely, you wouldn't want to be a liability to Her Majesty."

"Of course I don't. I just…" Byleth trailed off, frowning and glancing away. She felt Hubert's eyes on her, trying to gauge what she was thinking. She had to tell him; had to get it out of her system. _ But how? _

"Professor?" Had she a heartbeat to begin with, Byleth's heart would have skipped a beat when she realized how close to her he had gotten while she was lost in thought. Was she really so out of it that she hadn't seen him move? She looked up at him and met his gaze and suddenly, she was at a loss for words. It was faint, but there was genuine concern in those green depths. 

"You're right," she said after a few moments. "I am tired. There has been so much on my mind lately, and my thoughts have been so loud… Any time I try to sleep, I just can't."

"I see. If it is nerves about the coming battle, perhaps you should speak to Manuela. She may be able to give you something that will help you sleep." 

Byleth forced a smile and agreed. It _ was _ her nerves that ailed her, but Hubert's assumption as to why couldn't be further from the truth.

"I'll go see her tomorrow morning and ask her about it," she promised.

"See to it that you do," Hubert said with a small smirk. "You are one of our most powerful warriors, after all; it would be a shame for you to fall in battle." 

He walked around Byleth to go toward the door and leave, but stopped when he noticed the blank parchment and quill on her desk. He contemplated it, and Byleth could practically see the wheels in his head turning. There was a lit candle on the desk; it would take no time at all for him to realize what she'd been doing before he came to her door. She didn't have time to come up with an excuse.

"Writing a letter in the dead of night… How suspicious of you." He crossed his arms and quirked a brow at her, frowning. "I certainly hope this is not a sign that I should be suspecting you of treachery."

He moved toward her and she took a step back, eyes wide. _ He thinks I could be a spy? _ She had to allay his suspicions quickly, or things could get ugly.

"I promise you, I haven't betrayed anyone." She looked into Hubert's eyes and stood as tall as she could. She couldn't make herself look remotely guilty. If she did, she would be in trouble. The truth had to come out. _ There's no choice now. _ "I swear on my father's grave, Hubert. I would never, _ ever _ betray Edelgard." Her voice got softer as she continued, eyes shimmering. "Or you."

"Is that right?" Hubert sighed and shook his head, his expression softening a bit. "I believe you... but I'm sure you, of all people, can understand my suspicions. Who were you writing to then? And please don't lie to me. If you do, I will know… and I would prefer not having to pry it out of you."

_ Tell him. _ "I _ was _ writing a letter, but it was for you. I wrote it so many times, but no matter how I wrote what needed to be said, it didn't sound right… so I discarded the failures in the fireplace. I was just about to make another attempt when you knocked." She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so vulnerable; so small. 

Hubert frowned slightly. His eyes searched her face for any sign of deception, but she could see in that he found none. "Why would you need to write me a letter? Anything you need to bring to my attention, I should think you can say it to me directly."

"I didn't know how to tell you. I still don't…" 

"Try."

"I…" She walked forward until she was right in front of him, slowly raising her right hand to place it on his cheek. She expected him to slap her hand away, or grab her wrist to stop her, but he did no such thing. His eyes just widened with surprise that she so rarely saw him express and she smiled up at him, brushing the pad of her thumb across his cheekbone. He was so warm: a stark contrast to his normally icy demeanor.

_ Say it! _

"...I love you." It came out barely louder than a whisper, and the moment those words left her lips, she felt her heart lighten. The anxiety was gone. He could still reject her, but that fear was no longer at the forefront.

Byleth had never seen Hubert at such a loss for words before. _ Maybe he didn't hear me? _ She opened her mouth to say it again, but all that left her instead was a quick cry of shock when Hubert suddenly pushed her backward and pressed her against the wall with his hands on her shoulders. It was mistaken as a hostile action for only a second before she realized there was no pain. His hands were firm on her shoulders to keep her in place, but not so much so that it caused discomfort. He was just holding her. 

"What are you do—" She was cut off by Hubert's lips pressing against hers, and a rush of heat shot through her, settling low in her belly. Her hands grasped at the soft black tunic he wore as she lost herself in the passion of his kiss, returning it with the same degree of fervor. Hubert's hands became gentler on her shoulders, one sliding up into her hair and the other settling on her waist. It was so intimate, it was almost too much. 

She hummed softly and separated their mouths, breathing heavily and gazing up at him in awe. She didn't know how she had expected him to react to her confession… but that certainly hadn't been it. 

"I feel the same, Professor," Hubert murmured, the tiniest of smiles on his kiss-reddened lips. 

It was a dream come true. She smiled shyly at him, eyes filled with tears of joy. "Byleth."

"Pardon?"

"In lieu of the circumstances, I… I think it's appropriate for you to use my name."

"Very well, if that is what you wish. I feel I must apologize, however."

"For what?"

"For unintentionally contributing to your lack of sleep over the past few weeks."

She couldn't help but laugh at that, and the first of the happy tears fell down her flushed cheeks. She kissed him again, gentler than before but with renewed confidence. She didn't have to be afraid of rejection anymore, and that empowered her. That same heat from before was only growing stronger deep inside her the longer she kissed him, and now she recognized it for what it was. 

She wanted him. Badly.

When Hubert pressed himself against her and she felt the evidence of his desire becoming more obvious in his trousers, she shivered with excitement. Hubert misinterpreted that shiver as a negative one however, and he pulled away from the kiss with a frown. He was actually blushing. She had never seen him look so embarrassed.

"How rude of me… Here you are, exhausted, and I am letting my body betray me." He cleared his throat and backed away from her, regaining his composure the best he could.

"You should get some sleep. Perhaps when you are more rested, we can—"

"No."

He was taken aback. "No…?"

Byleth placed her hands on his chest and guided him backwards toward her bed until the backs of his knees hit the edge and he was forced to sit. She toyed with the clasp that held the collar of his tunic closed, slowly loosening it and exposing a little more of his smooth, pale neck. 

"For tonight, I want you to _ intentionally _ contribute to my lack of sleep," she whispered into his ear, allowing her lips to brush against it. It was Hubert's turn to shiver. "I want you. But, if you truly don't want to… you may take your leave. I won't force you, my love."

"Byleth…" It was the first time she had ever heard him say her name, and it made her pause to hear it. The mere sound of it in his voice was intoxicating. His hands found her waist and to answer, she slowly knelt over him, her thighs on either side of his. The wet heat inside her grew hotter at their closeness.

He kissed her then, and her mind went completely blank of everything else. At that moment, he was all that mattered. Her fingers deftly got to work undoing the rest of the clasps down the front of Hubert's tunic and once it fell open, her hands found their way across his chest and to his broad shoulders, pushing the fabric off of them as they went. Even though Hubert's weapon of choice was magic, she could tell he dabbled in swordplay from time to time. He was lean and strong, and it excited her to finally be able to see what his usual attire was always hiding. 

Hubert's hands did not remain idle. He rid himself completely of his tunic before sliding them under her shirt and he started pulling it up, the kiss breaking so the garment could be pulled off and tossed aside. Byleth suddenly felt very shy when her breasts were exposed, forcing herself to reject the impulse to cover her nudity. Noticing the slight change in her expression, Hubert smiled and traced his fingertips slowly over the swell of a breast. Her breath hitched.

"Self-conscious, are we?"

"A little," she admitted breathlessly.

"Don't be." In no time at all, Hubert had her on her back under him, the suddenness of the movement causing a soft, embarrassing squeak to escape her. She blushed, eyes wide as she gazed up at him. He lowered his head to her throat, nibbling gently at the skin he found there. Instinctively, she tilted her head back to give him more room.

"You're beautiful," he murmured into her neck. His nibbling trailed down her neck to her collarbone then continued even lower, stopping just short of the swell of her left breast. He glanced up at her, smirking when he saw the bewildered expression on her face. 

"Is this the first time anyone has ever touched you this way?" he asked.

"Y-yes…" 

"A virgin? My, my…" He brought his mouth down to one of her nipples and teased it with his tongue, humming softly with delight when she arched her back and coiled her fingers into his hair with a sharp gasp.

"What about you?" she breathed.

He paused, and for a moment, Byleth feared she may have struck a nerve. She really didn't want him to stop. If he did, she felt she might actually die. She was about to apologize, but then he answered.

"Once. I was sixteen. My father thought a whore from a nearby brothel would make a nice coming-of-age gift for me. She was pretty enough, I suppose, but there were no feelings involved. It wasn't a particularly long affair; she did what she was paid to do, then left. I think she was frightened of me." He shook his head with distaste at the memory, frowning. "My father was a fool."

"That's awful…"

"What's done is done. I put it from my mind long ago. Now… where was I?" His lips found her other nipple this time, and a shaky moan escaped her. She was so sensitive, every nerve in her body felt like it was thrumming, pulled tight like the strings of a harp. When Hubert's lips started leaving a trail of kisses even further down her torso, she began to feel that strong heat in the pit of her stomach gathering between her legs, too. She restlessly shifted her hips against the bed, biting her lip to keep another humiliating sound from coming out. When Hubert's fingers hooked under the waistband of her shorts, she assisted him by lifting her backside off the bed long enough for the garment to be pulled down her legs. 

Hubert sat back on his knees to admire her for a minute, those intense eyes taking in every square inch of her naked form that they could see. Byleth noted the lust in his eyes, and the very deliberate movement of his throat that suggested he was trying his damnedest to stay composed. In the interim, she took some time to admire him as well. Every aspect of that lean physique was so appealing to behold, but what held her attention the longest were the lines of his hip bones disappearing into his trousers. The garment did little to hide the shape of his erection, and she found herself really wanting to see him as exposed as she was. She propped herself up on one elbow, trailing her fingers down to rest right above his pantline.

"It's hardly fair that I'm the only naked one here," she teased.

"All in good time," Hubert responded with a smirk. "I'm not finished with you yet." 

He placed his hand between her breasts and as he slid it slowly down her body, she began feeling a strange tingling wherever his hand touched. The sensation was akin to the little static shocks that one might feel if a thunderstorm was about to strike and the atmosphere was charged, but the sensation wasn't quite that subtle. It was strong, but not painful. It was just… stimulating. It wasn't long before she realized exactly what he was doing to her, and she gave a quick laugh of surprise.

"Are you using magic right now?"

The prickling sensation became stronger for a moment as an answer to the question before subsiding again, and Hubert smirked at her pleasured whimper. His fingers were between her legs in no time at all, and whatever that sensation was, when she felt it on that oh-so-sensitive place, she had to cover her mouth with one hand to muffle the loud cry.

"Careful, Byleth. If you are too loud, everyone in the monastery will hear you. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

Byleth glared at him. His quiet arrogance knew no bounds… Still, that was one of the things she loved most about him. She reached between her legs and placed a hand over his, squeezing it. The prickling sensation eased.

"You've had your fun… Don't I get a turn to torment _ you? _" She scooted up the bed and away from him, sitting up. "Please. I want you to feel good too."

Hubert leaned forward and kissed her, smiling. He lay down beside her, watching her curiously to see what she would do. At this angle, the erection in his trousers was even more apparent and when he realized it, his cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Before he could move, Byleth knelt over him and flattened her palm against the bulge, feeling it twitch from the attention it was getting. Hubert closed his eyes, a muscle in his jaw visibly tightening with the effort he was making to control himself.

"Even now, you can't bring yourself to relinquish control to someone else," Byleth observed with a smile as she began unbuckling Hubert's belt. "I'm not about to judge you for letting go every now and then, you know. We are alone here; no one else can see you like this." She opened his belt and slid her hand down into his trousers, feeling the simultaneous smoothness and hardness of his cock and feeling it jump against her palm. It was faint, but she heard Hubert's breath hitch at the contact. His eyes opened slightly to watch her, and just like that, he was all hers.

"Thank you," she whispered. She pushed his trousers down over his hips and he lifted his rear for a moment so she could remove them and drop them on the floor beside the bed. Now that there was nothing to hide him from her gaze, Byleth took a moment to admire his naked form. She had often imagined what his clothes must be hiding, of course… but the reality was so much better than the fantasy. 

She wrapped her hand around his cock and stroked it slowly, taking great delight in every hitch in his breath and every minute movement of his hips. Gradually, her grip tightened and the movement quickened, and that was when she heard it: the softest of moans. 

Hand still moving, she started doing what he had done to her, kissing and nibbling down his torso. She lingered on his abs for a second before continuing downward and teasing the sensitive patch of flesh right above his cock with the tip of her tongue. Hubert inhaled sharply through his nose and slid his fingers through her hair, his abs tensing up and his cock twitching slightly next to her face. She turned her head and dragged her tongue slowly up the side of his shaft. The sound that escaped him then was closer to a growl than a moan, and her insides twisted with desire at the sound of it.

"You don't have to—"

She ignored him and took the tip into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it and applying a small amount of suction. Any protest that Hubert still had to her doing this for him, died and was swallowed by a series of quiet moans and gasps. His fingers kneaded her scalp in reverence, his head tilting back and his spine arching slightly when the rest of his shaft disappeared into her mouth. 

Although he had experienced sex before as a teenager, this was something that girl had never done for him. With her, it had merely been a business transaction. With Byleth, it was so much more than that. 

Byleth used her mouth on him for only a few minutes more before pulling away and gazing up at him, a smug smile on her lips. Her hand resumed what her mouth had been doing, a thin droplet of pre-cum leaking from the tip of Hubert's cock and over her fingers.

"That was…" Hubert swallowed thickly, having to find his voice before he was able to continue: "...pleasant."

Byleth laughed, sliding her body up his so she could kiss him. "Was it now?"

"Where did a virgin learn how to do that so well?" Hubert turned onto his side, pulling her with him and trailing his fingers up and down her spine. He delighted in the tiny shivers they elicited.

"I do read, you know."

The answer was so matter-of-fact and unexpected that Hubert had to laugh, and it was the most genuine laugh Byleth had ever heard him utter. Had Edelgard ever heard him laugh with such abandon? Selfishly, she hoped not. She wanted to be the only one Hubert let go of his inhibitions with.

"Somehow, I doubt those particular books came from the library here at the monastery."

Byleth kissed the hollow of Hubert's throat, snuggling close. She felt so safe in his arms at that moment, she couldn't believe there was a time long ago when she had been frightened of him at all. 

"You would be correct," she said. "When I was still a mercenary with my father, any time we passed through a city with a library, he would let me peruse the shelves for a couple of hours to unwind before continuing on our way."

She closed her eyes when she felt Hubert's fingers stroking her hair and she hummed happily. She never wanted this night to end.

"Do you ever miss that life?" Hubert inquired. "Surely it was much simpler."

"Sometimes… but then I think, if I had stayed in that life and not met Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri that day, I never would have met you."

"That may be true, but… Jeralt would still be alive."

"Maybe…"

They both fell silent then, simply enjoying each other's company and warmth. Even though the heat between them had lessened over the past few minutes, Byleth could still feel Hubert half-hard against her belly. She touched it softly with her hand, feeling him tense up momentarily with surprise. When she looked up at him, he was grinning.

"I would have thought you'd be exhausted by now, but you still want more… How incorrigible you are."

"You're the one who's still hard," she teased, swiping her thumb across the tip and wiping away some pre-cum. Hubert exhaled shakily. 

Byleth caught his lips with hers and kissed him with renewed vigor, pulling him on top of her and tangling her legs with his. Hubert trailed a hand down her side until it reached her thigh and he tugged her leg up, hooking her knee over his hip. Byleth's breathing got heavier, the flames of her desire burning even hotter. His cock was back to fully erect, and she felt her inner walls tremble at its proximity to her most private place.

"Please, Hubert…" She brought her other leg up over his hips, pulling him closer. The tip of his cock pressed against her and she felt him tremble with want against her. His self-control was impeccable, even now.

"I must warn you… this may hurt a little," he whispered into her ear, lips brushing against her earlobe.

She nodded her understanding and wound her fingers into his thick, black hair, gazing up at him as he guided himself into her. They held each other's gaze as he entered her, and she couldn't help but wince slightly at first. He was right; it started off being uncomfortable, but it very quickly became pleasurable. Hubert breathed heavily as he fought to control himself and not move too fast for her, resting his forehead against hers.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "Please, don't stop…" She squeezed around him as he slid the rest of the way into her and moaned softly into her ear, and she whimpered with pleasure in reply. Hubert started moving, thrusting in and out of her at an even pace. It was slow at first but gradually got faster as Byleth's steady stream of gasps and cries egged him on. She was so tight…

"You feel amazing," he growled into her neck, losing himself in her body and his own pleasure. He changed his angle only slightly, and that proved to be the right choice because almost immediately, Byleth released a loud cry that she only barely managed to muffle into his shoulder. She had no idea where he was hitting, but every inward thrust resulted in a wave of fresh heat flowing through her. Her inner walls started to spasm, and she trembled against him.

"Hubert, I… I think I'm going t-to…!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the first orgasm crashed over her, rocking her to the core and making her legs quake around Hubert's hips. He stopped thrusting to let her catch her breath, but she wasn't having it. She pushed him over onto his back, climbing on top of him and taking his cock back into her with a tremulous sigh. This angle was amazing too, and she could tell Hubert felt the same when a low groan escaped him and his eyelids closed and fluttered for a moment before he resumed eye contact. He held onto her hips and guided her up and down, biting his lip and uttering quiet expletives under his breath whenever she moved in a particular way.

Several more orgasms coursed through Byleth before she felt how close Hubert was getting to completion, and she moved her hips more insistently; her inner walls consciously squeezed him tighter as though to draw it out of him. His fingers dug into her hips hard enough to bruise, his cock throbbing inside her.

"Byleth… I'm close," he hissed, tipping his head back into her pillows and tensing underneath her. "I-I can't…"

"Then don't," she said huskily, riding him harder. "Come for me…" She knew there were risks to him not pulling out, but she didn't care. It only took a few more movements of her hips to finish him and he bucked his hips against her with a moan, cock throbbing as he filled her with his seed. The sensation of being filled made her come too, tossing her head back with an ecstatic cry.

She collapsed on top of him, panting heavily and trembling with the aftershocks. Once she calmed down, she slid off his softening cock and lay beside him, head resting on his chest. His heart was beating so fast, and she was sure hers would be too, if only it could beat. Hubert's breathing slowly evened out and he held her close, laying a kiss upon the top of her head and breathing in her scent.

"I love you," he said quietly, smiling.

Byleth felt tears well up upon hearing him say those three words to her for the first time. She was so happy; more happy than she had ever been in her life. 

"I love you, too."

They lay in silence for a while, the only sounds being their breath and the fire still crackling in the fireplace. Byleth felt Hubert's seed trickling out of her and she blushed deeply.

"We need to tell Her Majesty about us," Hubert stated thoughtfully, frowning. "If we do not, and you become pregnant…"

"That _ is _ a possibility," she agreed with a nod. "You're right… We should tell her sooner rather than later." Byleth yawned, her eyelids feeling very heavy. The month of almost no sleep was catching up to her. "But… maybe it should wait until morning."

Hubert chuckled. "Yes… You should get some sleep."

"Will you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep…"

"Byleth… I will stay with you until the end of time. You have my word."

As she felt herself finally drifting off to sleep, she faintly heard Hubert whispering to her: "Sleep well, my beloved."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't stay secret for long at Garreg Mach. Hubert sets a troublesome redhead straight. The battle with the Alliance inches ever closer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read chapter 1 and give me feedback. Like I said, this is the first fic I have written in years, and it makes me very happy to know so many people are enjoying it.
> 
> Now without further ado, here is chapter 2...
> 
> UPDATE 8/19/19: I made a small change to the timeframe leading up to the events of chapter 1, due to a conflict that existed with something in the next chapter. Nothing major, I just wanted to let y'all know!

Sunlight streamed into Byleth's bedroom window, bathing everything in a warm, yellow glow. The light gradually pulled her from the comforting darkness of slumber, her eyes fluttering open slowly. She yawned and stretched, momentarily feeling alarmed upon feeling that she wasn't alone in her bed. Almost immediately, her sleep-fogged brain recalled the events of the previous night and blushed deeply, glancing over her bare shoulder.

Hubert was sound asleep beside her, his expression more peaceful than she had ever seen or even believed him capable of. She smiled and carefully turned over to face him, watching him sleep. She could still scarcely believe she had gotten to experience him the way she had, and she bit her lip softly with a smile as the memories played in her mind with near perfect clarity. She brushed a lock of that soft, black hair away from his face, pausing when he began to stir.

Hubert's brow furrowed for a moment as he woke up, opening his eyes slightly and squinting at the morning light. He turned his head away from the window and when he saw Byleth watching him, he smiled. "You haven't been awake for long, I hope."

"Only a couple of minutes." She kissed him softly, resting a hand on his chest and tracing a little pattern there with her fingertips. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, deepening the kiss. She hummed, parting her lips and letting his tongue gain entry. For a moment, she wondered if they might have a morning repeat of their encounter the previous night, but then there was a knock on her bedroom door and the thought melted away when she heard the voice coming from the hall outside. 

It was Edelgard.

"Professor, please let me in." She sounded worried, and Byleth's suspicions about why she was paying her a visit were confirmed almost immediately. "I cannot find Hubert anywhere. I need your help."

Hubert's eyes widened at the sound of the emperor's voice and he looked around for his clothes. He was supposed to go to Edelgard at the crack of dawn every morning to ensure she was awake on time, but one glance out the window was enough to tell him that it was at least two hours past dawn.

Byleth got out of bed and quickly got dressed as well, calling out to Edelgard as she did and miraculously being able to keep her voice calm. 

"I'll be right there, Your Majesty." She looked at Hubert with wide, slightly panicked eyes, mouthing the words _ "What do we do now?" _ They had planned on telling Edelgard that day about them, but not this soon and certainly not under such compromising circumstances.

Hubert looked around as though for a place to conceal himself, but when he found nothing, he sighed softly and shook his head.

"Well, I suppose there is only one thing we can do," he whispered to her, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling his boots on. "We must tell her."

Byleth nodded, inhaling deeply to calm herself and letting it out slowly. She walked to the door and opened it, being met by a very concerned Edelgard. 

"I apologize for waking you, my dear friend," she apologized formally, hands clasped in front of her. "But I'm afraid I require your help in finding—" She trailed off when she saw Hubert getting up from Byleth's bed and her eyes widened with obvious shock.

"Hubert? What is going on here?"

He moved to stand beside Byleth, placing a hand on his chest and bowing to the Emperor. "I apologize for shirking my duties to you this morning, Your Majesty. As for my presence here, there is… Well. There is something both of us must tell you."

Byleth laced her fingers through those on Hubert's free hand and smiled, blushing. He glanced sidelong at her, and something in that gaze seemed to be all the explanation Edelgard needed.

Edelgard looked between the two of them and smiled. "I think I can guess what it is you want to tell me, Hubert… and you have my blessing. Since we were children, you have always been my stalwart protector, never wavering in your loyalty. For a time, I wondered if it was affecting your own happiness to always be ensuring my own. Truly, it warms my heart to see that you have given yours to someone so worthy."

Hubert closed his eyes and bowed his head with respect, smiling faintly to himself.

"You honor me, Lady Edelgard." He turned toward Byleth then, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "I must attend to my duties now. Should you need me, you know where to find me." With one final bow to Edelgard, Hubert left the room and the sound of his footsteps grew fainter and fainter as he headed to his own room to change.

Edelgard crossed her arms, shaking her head in disbelief. "During the five years you were gone, I often wondered if he might have feelings for you."

Byleth was visibly surprised by that. "Really?" To think that her absence had affected Hubert more than he had let on, was a painful thought. She always assumed he had just continued on with his duties to Edelgard, taking things in stride as though nothing had changed.

"Yes. He always tried to hide that it bothered him, of course… but only when he thought someone was watching. There were a couple of occasions where I found him in the library and he looked… worried. Sad. Then he realized I was there, and he buried it just under the surface again.

"Hubert has never been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, so seeing him like that, especially so soon after your disappearance… it wasn't hard to make the connection."

Byleth could hardly believe what she was hearing. She wasn't sure what to say. Edelgard accepted the silence as an opportunity to continue.

"Three years ago, I asked Hubert once if he thought you were safe, wherever you were. His answer was simply, 'She is far too stubborn to die.' Faint as it was, he sounded hopeful. He wanted you to turn up, unscathed." Edelgard's expression softened as she recalled that day. "He thinks very highly of you."

"He didn't always," Byleth stated with a little laugh. "My first conversation with him after being brought on as a teacher here was that he wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I stood in the way of your goals. 

"Surely not!" Edelgard exclaimed with a laugh of her own. "Well, for what it's worth, I am glad he made no such attempts on your life back then… and I am happier still that you are the one to whom he entrusted his heart."

The fair-haired young woman became more serious then. "Happy as I am for you both, I must caution you, as he is my closest and oldest friend: if you ever hurt him, I will never forgive you."

"I would never dream of it," Byleth said earnestly, cheeks flushed. "I love him. Deeply."

"Then you needn't worry about the vow I'm about to make: if you ever cause him pain, even the powers of the goddess within you would not be enough to protect you."

***********

In spite of all the things that had changed in her life in such a short period of time, it felt like any other day. Her students (could she even call them that anymore?) trained for the battle that was fast approaching, preparing themselves physically and emotionally to fight their former friends. The thought of having to fight Claude wore heavy on Byleth's heart, too. He had always been so kind to her in the past, yet now they were on opposite sides of the battlefield.

She oversaw a training bout between Felix and Sylvain, assessing their form and praising them any time they executed a move with perfect precision. 

"A lance versus a sword," Felix said with breathless distaste, snarling at the smug expression on Sylvain's face. "If we were both using swords, I would have beaten you into the ground by now."

Sylvain laughed, making a sort of come-at-me gesture to taunt his childhood friend and winking at him. "Lesson one, Felix: don't let your anger get the best of you in battle."

"Shut up!" Felix lunged at Sylvain and the redhead spun out of the way with surprising ease, swinging his lance at the backs of Felix's knees and sweeping his legs right out from under him. 

Felix landed hard on his back, wincing and glaring up at Sylvain. "That was a cheap shot."

"Was it cheap?" Byleth interjected from the sidelines, arms crossed. She walked over to him and held her hand out to help him to his feet. Felix hesitated a moment before accepting her help. "Or was it smart? In battle, you must take whatever advantage you can get. If the enemy gets the chance to put you on the ground and make it easier to drive their spear through your heart, you can be sure they will take that chance without hesitation. You must not assume they will be honorable. Be prepared for anything."

Felix nodded firmly, picking the training sword up off the ground. "Yes, Professor." He smirked at Sylvain, pointing the dull blade at Sylvain's throat. "I'm going to win next time."

Sylvain grinned. "Make sure you follow the professor's advice and survive the fight against the Alliance then." He set the training lance back in the rack with the others and turned his head to look at Byleth. "Professor, might I have a word?"

Byleth nodded and walked with him across the training grounds, waving at Leonie when they walked past her polishing her sword. "What seems to be the problem, Sylvain?"

"Oh, no problem," Sylvain answered with a shrug, hands clasped behind his head in a laid-back fashion as he walked. "I just wanted to ask who the lucky guy is."

Byleth stopped in her tracks, shocked by the suddenness and bluntness of the question. 

"What—"

"Ha, so I _ am _ right! I knew it." Sylvain laughed. "You've seemed distracted all day, and that faraway look I saw in your eyes while Felix and I were training is a look I've seen before, in the eyes of several women. You're in love; it's so obvious."

Byleth sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, blushing and smiling with embarrassment. "Alright, you caught me. Very astute of you."

"Now comes the real question: is the lucky guy me or Felix?"

"What?!"

"It _ is _ me, isn't it? I'm flattered, Professor."

Byleth was so flustered by Sylvain's presumptuousness that she didn't hear or see the tall, dark figure approaching them.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds," came Hubert's silky voice. "You truly believe she would _ willingly _ subject herself to what so many other young women have been subjected to in the past? Or are we pretending you didn't have a new girl on your arm every day of the week?" 

It was harsh, but Byleth knew he had a point. In Sylvain's youth at the monastery, he was notorious for being a heartbreaker. She knew there was a lot of emotional baggage in his past that was partially responsible for such behavior, but only partially responsible.

Sylvain frowned, crossing his arms. "I was only teasing. Sheesh… You need to lighten up." He rolled his eyes before looking at Byleth once again, seeming genuinely curious now. "Really though, who is it?"

"Well… you're looking at him," Byleth answered, smiling. Edelgard already knew about them, so it was only a matter of time before everyone else found out, too. What was the point in hiding it?

For a moment, Sylvain looked legitimately confused. He looked around. Was there another man nearby that he wasn't seeing? Surely, she didn't mean what he thought she meant. One look at the guarded smugness on Hubert's face was enough to confirm. He recoiled in shock, jaw dropping open.

"_ Hubert?! _ Really?!" he exclaimed. 

Hubert scowled at him. "There's no need to shout, fool." 

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, but… _ wow. _I never would have guessed."

"Byleth and I have things to discuss, so if you would excuse us," Hubert said calmly. He ignored Sylvain's stunned expression as they walked away from him and when Byleth giggled next to him, he raised a brow at her.

"Is there some humor I am missing here?"

"I hope he doesn't stand there with his mouth agape for too long, or he'll catch flies," she said, still laughing.

He uttered a quiet chuckle at that, smiling at her. They walked back into the monastery together, making their way up the main staircase and toward the bridge leading to the old cathedral.

"You said there was something we need to discuss?" Byleth prompted, stopping halfway across the bridge to the cathedral and looking up at him.

"Yes. We march toward Derdriu first thing tomorrow morning to meet Claude's forces, and I wished to brief you on what to expect."

Hubert crossed his arms on the edge of the bridge, looking out over the forest and river below them. A stray breeze blew by, tousling his raven locks before they once again fell in front of his right eye, hiding it from view.

"Claude is a devious opponent, Byleth. There is a reason he is referred to by many in the Alliance as the Master Tactician. Whatever we are expecting to encounter upon our arrival in the floating capital, one thing is certain: Claude will have something up his sleeve that he hopes will decimate the morale of our troops and secure his victory."

Byleth frowned, leaning beside him against the wall. "That does sound like something he would do. Even when I first met him, I thought he always seemed to be scheming under that polite, jovial facade."

"Very astute of you."

The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with varying shades of orange, pink and purple. Byleth turned to face the same direction as Hubert, placing a hand over his on the cool stone. He wordlessly covered it with his free hand in reply, thumb rubbing gently over her knuckles.

"Whatever awaits us in Derdriu," Byleth began, gazing up at him with a warm, hopeful smile, "we will face it together and we will win. With you by my side, we can accomplish anything."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." 

Their lips met in a kiss, and any apprehension Byleth had about the battle to come, disappeared along with the setting sun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle for Derdriu begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Large-scale battles are really hard to write convincingly, so I really hope I did a good job with it lol. There were several sections in this chapter that I had to either rewrite, expand upon, or omit entirely in order for all the pieces to fit together.

The Black Eagle Strike Force had set out from Garreg Mach with the imperial army early the following morning as planned, and after a long march that spanned just short of a week, they finally arrived at the floating capital of the Alliance. It was a beautiful city, and at first, it seemed nothing was amiss. Then an alarm being sounded reached the group, and beyond the shadow of a doubt, they knew it was time.

"Today, we make history," Edelgard called to her forces, brandishing her ax. The soldiers yelled and raised their weapons, their morale bolstered by the confidence of their Emperor. Byleth smiled at her then turned her attention to Hubert, who was eyeing the main gate of the city very closely and assessing what they would be up against going into the city.

"There are so many of them," squeaked Bernadetta, nervously wringing her hands around her bow. 

"Hush, Bernie," Dorothea said soothingly to the nervous archer, smiling warmly at her. "We have trained long and hard for this. Just stick to the plan, and you'll be fine."

"R-right. Plan. W-what plan, exactly?"

"Derdriu has three gates leading into the city," Hubert began. "The main gate will be the most heavily guarded, but the other two will be where their reinforcements enter to stop our advance."

"If we can take all three gates, we take the city and victory is assured," Edelgard added. 

"Then we just have Claude to deal with, and the Alliance will crumble," Ferdinand mused from atop his horse, grinning.

"Y-yeah, about that… Isn't that him?" Bernadetta pointed. Above the city walls came a wyvern with deep green scales, and atop its back was unmistakably Claude, wearing his white and gold vestments that represented the Alliance colors. The beast circled overhead and while Claude's exact words couldn't be made out from where they stood, they heard him address his forces. The sound of soldiers yelling reached their ears, then the wyvern flew deeper into the city and was gone from view.

At Edelgard's command, the army advanced upon the city. Ferdinand, Sylvain and Leonie rode ahead with the rest of the cavalry, the horses' hooves pounding against the earth in a thunderous roar. Bernadetta and Shamir hung back with the rest of the archers, nocking arrows to their bowstrings in preparation. Byleth brandished the Sword of the Creator and looked at Hubert with fire in her eyes, smiling.

"See you on the other side," she said. Hubert smiled back at her, nodding firmly.

"Be careful, and remember: Claude is no fool."

Byleth left his side then and ran toward the main gate with Felix, Petra, Edelgard and Caspar not far behind. The sound of weapons clashing and soldiers screaming as they fell came to meet them as the cavalry crashed through the city's defenses. Sylvain swung his axe with a roar, caving in the helmet of an Alliance soldier that then crumpled to the ground almost immediately. Ferdinand threw his spear through the chest of a footsoldier that was running up behind Leonie's horse, galloping over to retrieve his weapon from the dead man.

"Now!" Shamir yelled to her battalion of archers once they were close enough to the city walls. A sea of bows, including hers and Bernadetta's, was pointed skyward and a volley of arrows flew clear over the walls, raining down on the enemy troops. Those with shields or heavy armor were unscathed, but those with lighter armor were not quite so lucky.

Hubert and the other mages made it to the main gate and with a loud cry, Dorothea fired a ball of lightning at a group of heavily armored soldiers blocking their path. They screamed and fell, their metal armor doing little to protect them against the dancer's magic.

Black sparks of energy crackled from Hubert's hands and he focused his attention on an enemy swordsman that appeared to be rushing up on Edelgard from behind. With a yell, he fired that spell energy at the man, a number of magical spikes shooting up from the ground under him and impaling him where he stood. When Edelgard realized what had happened, she spun around and nodded her thanks at him before raising her shield to block another swordsman's assault, slicing him open with her ax. 

"Bastard!" a soldier screamed at Hubert, running at him with abandon with her sword raised in vengeance for her fallen comrade. Hubert spun out of the way of her blade, feeling it cut through the air where he had just been. Halfway through the evasive spin, he pulled his own sword out of its sheath and lunged forward while the woman was recovering from her own flawed attack. She shrieked with agony as the blade forced its way through her abdomen and out of her back. Blood bubbled from her lips as the life drained from her eyes, and Hubert used his boot to shove her off his sword as she died. 

Byleth cut a bloody path to the second gate, the Sword of the Creator lengthening into a whip that she used to cut down almost an entire battalion on her own. She was a force to be reckoned with, eyes blazing as she was lost in the frenzy of battle. That was when she saw her: Lysithea, her delicate hands glowing with magic, was standing between her and the second gate with a small detachment of mages behind her. Byleth paused. 

She had always liked Lysithea. She was a hard-working, bright student with a natural talent for magic, and if things hadn't gone south the way they had at the monastery, she would eventually have asked her to join her House. But, the cards had fallen differently and now here they were, on opposite sides of a war. It was a shame.

"Professor," Lysithea called out. "Long time, no see."

"It doesn't have to be this way, Lysithea," Byleth said, lowering her sword and frowning at the young lady. "You can still walk away." She took a step closer but stopped when the magic surrounding Lysithea's hands crackled more furiously. "I don't want to fight you."

"Nor I, you. But I _ must! _" Lysithea flung cutting blades of wind at her and she leaped out of the way, rushing toward her. Byleth's battalion of knights focused on the mages in Lysithea's charge, and while there were heavy casualties on both sides, in the end it was the mages who fell. Byleth swung her blade at Lysithea and it left a deep gash across her arm, blood seeping out and immediately soaking one of her sleeves with a deep crimson. Lysithea cried out in pain and stumbled back against the gate, falling to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched at the wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

"If you're going to kill me, do it!" she yelled defiantly, choking back more tears. "I didn't want any of this, Professor. I didn't want to fight… but you left me no choice, the moment you chose to defy Rhea!"

Byleth approached her slowly, frowning. "There is always a choice, Lysithea, and I am at peace with mine." She held her hand out to the girl to help her up. Lysithea hesitated. "We are not the enemy here: Rhea and the Church are. They lied to all of us, and Edelgard seeks to set things right."

"Don't listen to her, Lysi!" came a high, angry voice from behind her. Byleth looked over her shoulder and was met with the sight of Hilda, bearing an ax and splashed with the blood of who knew how many imperial troops. "She killed Ignatz, remember? She can't be trusted! None of them can!"

"I did not _ want _ to kill him!" Byleth's grip on her sword tightened with grief at the memory. "But if I hadn't… he would have killed me. I was defending myself, just as you are. I grieved for him for days after the battle, and I still do." Even talking about Ignatz's death was painful. She had been back from her five-year slumber for only a week before she was thrown into battle with a small detachment of Alliance forces that, unfortunately, included Ignatz.

"Please listen to me, Lysithea. I bear you no ill will, and if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so. My blade could have just as easily cut your throat just now." She held her hand out to Lysithea again. "Please."

Lysithea looked at Byleth's hand, tears dripping from her chin and onto the bloody cobbles below her. For a moment, Byleth feared she might again refuse her help… but when Lysithea took her hand, she smiled warmly at the girl and helped her up. 

"Thank you, Professor," Lysithea said quietly, sniffling. "Thank you for giving me a chance… to set things right."

Byleth was startled by a loud crash behind her and she spun around just in time to see Caspar blocking a heavy blow from Hilda's ax with his shield, effectively saving her life. He pushed back with a loud yell, causing Hilda to stumble momentarily. He panted heavily, grinning. 

"I've got your back, Professor," he said, not taking his eyes off Hilda for even a moment. "I'll take it from here."

"Thank you, Caspar."

"Professor!" Petra ran toward them, eyes wide when she saw her holding Lysithea's hand. "I have much confusion. What is going on?"

"Petra, escort Lysithea to Manuela outside the gates and ensure she gets there safely," Byleth instructed before looking back at Lysithea. "She will have you patched up in no time."

Petra nodded. "I have understanding. Let's go then." She grabbed Lysithea's hand and took off running back to the main gate, ducking around several groups of soldiers that were locked in battle with each other.

"Professor!" Leonie's horse galloped up to her, its nostrils flaring and its hooves stomping when Leonie forced it to a stop. Leonie looked scared, and that was a big red flag for Byleth. Leonie wasn't easily shaken. 

"Leonie, what's going on?" she asked urgently.

"Wyvern riders... A whole group of them… from a large ship across the harbor!"

"How many?"

"Six that I could see flying this way, but it's a big ship. I'm willing to bet there are way more."

_ They intend to attack from two fronts... _

"Nader," came Hubert's voice with just a hint of amusement. Byleth turned to look at him as he approached, frowning.

"Who's Nader?"

"A high-ranking Almyran general. We were right in suspecting Claude had something more waiting for us here. What a crafty devil…" Was that a drop of admiration in Hubert's voice as well? Perhaps she had been imagining it.

"Since when do the Alliance and Almyrans work together?" Leonie said, frowning at him.

"I wonder," was Hubert's only reply. He fell silent for a minute, thoughtful, before continuing. "Regardless of what the reason may be, there is one thing that is certain: with their general gone, they will retreat. Focus on bringing down Nader."

Leonie nodded, grinning. "I've always wanted to take down a wyvern rider." She rode her horse hard back to the main gate, and more soldiers began to close in on them. Bodies littered the streets around them, and while there were a lot of imperial soldiers lying dead, Byleth was sure the majority were Alliance. Their tactics were becoming dirtier; more desperate.

They were losing, and they knew it. 

Edelgard was within view, covered in blood and looking absolutely feral as she swung her ax and lopped the head off her latest assailant. She was getting worn down, and she paused only a moment to catch her breath as Felix came to her aid. He was one of the best swordsmen in their ranks, practically a blur as he cut a path. The third gate was almost theirs.

Hubert alternated between sword and spell, moving with as much ease as a dancer. Byleth couldn't help but watch him every so often, admiring his form and that fierce expression. He really was like a force of nature: unpredictable and dangerous, but breathtaking to behold.

"_ Graaahhh!" _

Byleth looked toward the familiar yell of Caspar, eyes widening as she saw Hilda blindside him and kick the back of one of his knees. He knelt from the pain, dropping his guard just long enough for her to gain the advantage. Hilda raised her ax, preparing to bring it down on Caspar's neck.

"Caspar!" Byleth screamed with alarm, sprinting toward him. The Sword of the Creator glowed in her hands as she readied its whip-like form…

Hilda screeched as an arrow shot into the bicep on her dominant side, her control over the ax faltering. The weapon fell with a loud clatter on the bloody street and Caspar stumbled to his feet, eyes wide as he became fully aware of just how close he had been to death. Byleth stopped and turned her head in the direction from which the arrow had come.

Petra stood with her bow still held at the ready, her eyes blazing. She nocked another arrow.

Hilda backed up, seeming genuinely afraid. She grabbed the arrow protruding from her arm and cried out as she yanked it free, blood flowing freely. She tried picking her ax up off the ground once more, fully intending to fight the Empire until her last breath, but it was no use. The pain was too great for her to lift it. Now that she could not lift her ax, she was out of options and hopelessly outnumbered. Tears fell down her cheeks.

"Hilda," Byleth began, moving toward her, "it's over. It doesn't have to be this way, so please—"

"You're asking me to join you?" Hilda uttered a pained laugh, wobbling a bit as she lost more and more blood. Petra's arrow had struck an artery and the serrated arrowhead meant that when it was pulled out, it caused even more damage than it did going in. She was holding her arm to stop the blood flow, but she had already grown too weak to apply the right amount of pressure to stop the bleeding. It was only a matter of time before she bled out.

"Hilda, please," Byleth said urgently when she saw how much blood Hilda was losing in such a short amount of time. "If you let us bring you to Manuela, she can heal you!"

"And make it so that I owe you a debt?" Hilda uttered a pained laugh, shaking her head. "_ Never _ . I would rather die here… than defy Rhea and the Church… You have _ no _ idea what she's capable of."

Hilda fell to her knees in a pool of her own blood, gazing skyward with a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, Claude… I couldn't do what you asked. Please forgive me…" No longer able to stay conscious with how much blood she had already lost, Hilda collapsed onto her side and went completely still. Her breaths got shallower and shallower until, finally, she was gone.

"The third gate is ours!" Byleth heard Sylvain yell in the distance, followed by a victorious roar from the imperial soldiers who heard. She looked down at Hilda's body, shaking her head sadly and closing her eyes against the horror of it. Another promising life, cut short by war… It broke her heart.

Caspar ran toward Petra and pulled her into a firm hug, not letting go. Petra, bewildered, dropped her bow and returned it, smiling.

Hubert approached Byleth and squeezed her shoulder to get her attention, frowning. "I know you are grieving for her… but you need to ready yourself. It would appear that Claude has decided to come to _ us _."

She looked up and saw Claude on his wyvern flying toward them. She pulled herself together as best she could and held her sword at the ready. 

"Hilda!" Claude cried from above when he saw her, voice heavy with grief. His wyvern hovered about twenty feet above the ground, its mighty wings stirring up dust and debris that swirled around them. "Damn it… I told you to retreat if they started to gain the upper hand. Why didn't you listen to me?" Just as quickly as he'd come, Claude turned his wyvern back toward the harbor and flew off, making it clear he was only there to assess the damage to his forces and not to engage them in combat. At least, not yet.

Even he knew: the Empire was winning.

"Coward," Hubert said with distaste as Claude fled the scene.

Byleth looked up when she heard hoofbeats and saw Leonie riding up to them with her lance raised, a huge smirk of pride on her face. "Nader and his riders were forced to retreat. The archers, mages and a small detachment of pegasus knights were able to take out a good number of his men, and Nader himself was wounded."

"Thank you, Leonie," Byleth said half-heartedly. That was when Leonie saw Hilda's body and all of the blood surrounding her, and her smile fell.

"No…"

She got off her horse and fell to her knees next to Hilda's body, kneeling in all that blood with tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Hilda… I'm so sorry…"

"She was going to kill Caspar... I had no choice," said Petra, squeezing Caspar's hand as though for reassurance that she had done the right thing.

"I know, it's just… even though we didn't always see eye to eye, she used to be so kind to me…" Leonie inhaled shakily and stood up. "Goodbye, Hilda…"

Edelgard approached then, her shining armor splattered with crimson. There was a heavier concentration of blood seeping from a large break in her armor, and the way she was holding her shield, like it was suddenly too heavy for her, was a good indicator that the blood was hers.

When he saw that Edelgard was wounded, Hubert's eyes widened and he hurried over to her. "Your Majesty—"

"Don't trouble yourself, Hubert," Edelgard said stiffly, forcing a small smile. "It looks far worse than it actually is." She looked in the direction of the harbor, brow furrowed.

"There is only one thing left for us to do, now that we have taken control of the gates," she stated. "Claude is at the harbor with a small detachment of soldiers to defend himself. He knows we have won, but he is stubborn, like always."

"We should offer him the chance to surrender," Byleth proposed. Both Edelgard and Hubert looked at her like she was mad, but even so, she continued. "Hear me out. Hubert, you saw how he reacted when he saw Hilda; you heard what he said."

"I did, but I fail to see how—"

"_ Think _about it," Byleth insisted. "He told Hilda to retreat if things got too dangerous, and I'm willing to bet he said that to Lysithea too. If we give him the chance to avoid more bloodshed here today, he'll take it."

"She's right," added Leonie. "I started at Garreg Mach as a Golden Deer, remember? I spent more time with Claude than any of you. He's smart and cunning, but he's not ruthless. To him, war is a game of wits and strategy, like chess. Winning is important, but if he could choose between winning the battle and losing most of his men, and surrendering but being able to save more lives as a result… he would choose the latter, every time."

Edelgard considered Leonie's perspective carefully, trying to look at it from all angles. She knew Claude well from their time at the monastery; what she said was certainly plausible. It was a gamble, but...

"Very well," she said finally. Byleth and Leonie smiled. "We will offer him the _ opportunity _ to surrender, but if he does not…"

Hubert frowned, skeptical at the prospect of letting Claude off so easily. Byleth watched him, and they briefly made eye contact. That gaze spoke volumes, and finally, Hubert sighed.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Byleth."

"A little faith goes a long way."

***************

The harbor at Derdriu was a very defensible position, as far as Byleth could see. Surrounded by water on three sides, there was only one way enemies would be able to enter if they were not on ships, which meant there was no risk of having to fight on two fronts. That fact had served Claude well. Any of the Empire's troops that had made it to the harbor had been quickly cut down by the battalion serving as Claude's personal guard. They hadn't even been able to get close to him, yet here they were, closer than any of them had gotten and still standing.

_ He knew we were coming, but he told his men not to attack, _ Byleth mused. It was either a sign of good will, or a sign of overconfidence. Did Claude truly think he could take them all on, alone?

She stopped in her tracks when an arrow lodged itself in the ground mere inches in front of her and she looked up. Claude's wyvern was seated on top of a sort of monumental archway in the center of the large space, its rider readying another arrow.

"About time you showed up," Claude called down to them, grinning. "I was getting so bored, I was beginning to nod off."

"Arrogant fool," Hubert muttered, shaking his head.

Edelgard moved forward, raising her shield as much as she could with a wounded shoulder and blocking the next incoming arrow.

"It's over, Claude!" she yelled up at him. "Lay down your bow."

Claude glared at her. "I must respectfully decline. Besides, if I did as you ask, how do I know you won't kill me anyway?"

"You will know because I give you my word," Byleth interjected. Hubert looked at her with a frown, brow furrowing.

"I know we agreed I would trust your judgment in this, but I'll ask again: do you truly think this wise?"

"He is beaten, Hubert. He is no longer a threat, and there has been enough bloodshed here today." Byleth moved closer to Claude, and no arrow came this time.

The wyvern took to the air and landed directly in front of her, the beast snarling at her but not attacking. The man on its back seemed thoughtful.

"I didn't see Lysithea amongst the fallen. I didn't think your lot was the type to take prisoners."

"She is no prisoner. She is safe with Manuela treating her wound, just outside the city. No harm is going to come to her. You have my word on that as well."

Claude's eyes widened. "I see… In all the time I've known you, I've never known you to lie, Teach," he said. "So if you say she's safe, I believe you."

He jumped down from his mount and when his feet touched the ground, Hubert instinctively moved to stand between he, Byleth and Edelgard. He didn't trust him, but he made no move to attack either. He just hoped Byleth knew what she was doing.

"Relax, Hubert," Claude said, rolling his eyes. "I don't bite nearly as hard as this guy does, and he won't do anything unless I tell him to." He chuckled and patted the wyvern's side with his free hand.

"What happened with Hilda? I couldn't help but notice you didn't offer her the same courtesy you offered Lysithea."

"I can answer that," Caspar stated. "She was about to behead me, and Petra stopped her."

"Caspar speaks the truth," Petra added.

"I did offer her a place with us. She was wounded, and I told her if we brought her to Manuela right then, she would be able to heal her and save her life. She refused," Byleth explained.

"She said she would rather die than owe us a debt," Hubert then added.

Claude sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "She was always so stubborn." He fell silent for a few minutes before looking at Byleth with a smile. "Thank you for helping Lysithea, Teach. And even though she didn't accept your help, thank you for doing the same for Hilda."

Claude spotted Leonie then and grinned. "There's a face I never thought I'd see again. Tell me… what do _ you _ make of them?"

"I trust them with my life," Leonie answered without hesitation. "Edelgard is inherently good. I believe in her cause, and I have seen firsthand what Rhea really is. The Church of Seiros will lead Fódlan to ruin if allowed to remain in power."

"I see." Claude fell silent for a minute, lost in thought. He smiled. "Maybe with someone like you by Edelgard's side, Fódlan will be in good hands after all, Teach."

He knelt on one knee and presented his bow to Edelgard before slowly laying it on the bloodied ground. "I surrender."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be even longer, but I felt that Claude's final line was a great stopping point for this one.
> 
> See you all in chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle for Derdriu has been won by the Empire, and Hubert and Byleth decide to celebrate their victory in their own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet, this one! Enjoy. ^_^

The battle for Derdriu had been won, and the imperial army was camped outside the city walls, the soldiers recuperating their strength. Some were celebrating, while others were tending to their wounds. It would be a long journey back to Garreg Mach, and the battle had been hard on all of them. Byleth stood by the water's edge in Derdriu harbor, enjoying the sea breeze as it blew through her hair.

"Professor." Byleth turned around when she heard Edelgard's voice, inclining her head respectfully for a moment.

"How is your shoulder, Your Majesty?" 

"You don't have to use pleasantries with me all the time, my friend," Edelgard said with a smile. "You may refer to me by name; I don't mind. To answer your question, though, Manuela patched me up. My shoulder is still a bit sore, but she healed most of the damage. As I'm sure you can imagine, Manuela has been a bit overwhelmed in the aftermath of the battle. Linhardt, Annette and Dorothea have been helping her."

"Be sure to give Manuela my regards!"

Edelgard gasped sharply with shock when Claude showed up seemingly out of nowhere and she glared venomously at him.

"Claude! Didn't you just tell us mere hours ago that you were leaving?"

"I did, but I wanted to say hi to Teach more properly," Claude stated with a casual shrug. "You know, without an arrow aimed between her eyes."

Edelgard watched him incredulously, crossing her arms. "You mean to tell me you risked your life coming here just to say hello?"

"That's the long and short of it, yeah. I also came because I wanted to tell you I intend to leave Fódlan."

"I see. You intend to go to Almyra, I presume?" Edelgard replied.

"That's right. I would stay, but I feel like that would only cause problems."

"It would. While many in the Alliance support the Empire, there is still a number of them who would rise against us if you were still here for them to look up to. Second, as a rule, I find it a bit hard to trust someone who can sneak past my armed guards to tell us all of this..."

Claude nodded, smirking at the mention of Edelgard's security. "And that's why I need to leave. Don't worry; I'll find some way to pay my debt to you."

"Debt?" Byleth asked. Claude looked at her and grinned, turning on the charm that always came so naturally to him.

"You didn't kill me. You offered me an opportunity to surrender and in doing that, you spared more of my people having to die here. For that, I'm grateful. There was a time when I, too, considered trying to take all of Fódlan for myself, but I can see now that would have been a mistake. Fódlan is in good hands with you, Edelgard. And, Teach? Keep Edelgard on the right path, would you? If you bump into any of my former classmates, please be merciful. I told all of them to support your cause, in the event that we lost."

Edelgard seemed surprised by that. "So you really did plan for your loss as well as your victory. Unbelievable."

Claude winked. "You know me, always thinking ahead. Anyway… I should go. Take care of yourselves, and of Fódlan. I promise you both that someday, I will repay you." With that, the former leader of the Alliance walked away and eventually disappeared from sight.

"That was… interesting," Edelgard said with uncertainty, hands on her hips. "Hearing him say he will support us from afar was unexpected. Do you think he meant it?"

Byleth smiled and nodded. "I think so. He would have nothing to gain from lying to us now." 

“Perhaps. Come, we should head back to the others before Hubert sends a search party.”

****************

When Edelgard and Byleth returned to their camp just outside of Derdriu, they were immediately greeted by Hubert and Ferdinand. 

“Your Majesty, there you are. We were just about to go looking for you,” Hubert stated. Byleth and Edelgard glanced at each other knowingly with amused smiles, which the dark-haired man regarded with confusion. “Something amusing?”

“Not at all. Do you have any updates for me, Hubert?” Edelgard asked calmly.

“Yes, in fact. Derdriu is now completely under Empire control and, surprisingly, there has been no protest from those living here.”

“It would appear that they are willing to support you, Edelgard, though the circumstances are… suspect,” Ferdinand added, running a hand through his long, ginger hair. He looked exhausted, but he was making a clear effort not to make it obvious. “Many of their own people died here today to defend Derdriu. It’s strange that they would comply so easily.”

“Perhaps Claude spoke with them,” Edelgard mused, not letting on that she and Byleth had spoken to Claude only a short time ago. She didn’t want to get Hubert all riled up. “Perhaps he really did plan for losing the battle here today and in preparation for the possibility, urged them to support our cause if we were to win. Either way, we must make it clear that from now on, they are under my protection, and I will take that charge seriously.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to retire for the evening. It has been a long day, and we head back to Garreg Mach at first light.” Edelgard walked past Hubert and into the camp, making her way to her tent.

The moment she was gone from view, Ferdinand covered his mouth with his hand and yawned, letting that exhaustion show now that the emperor wasn't there to see it. "I believe I am going to follow suit. It was a hard-fought battle, and I think we've all earned some rest."

"You did well today, Ferdinand," Byleth agreed, smiling at him. "Go ahead and get some sleep."

Ferdinand excused himself, and for the first time since leaving Garreg Mach, Hubert and Byleth were alone. Hubert smiled at her.

"Would you walk with me?" he asked. 

Byleth blushed and nodded. "Of course." They walked together along the forest's edge, out of view of the imperial soldiers for the first time in a week. They enjoyed each other's company in silence and after a moment of shy hesitation, Byleth took hold of Hubert's hand. Hubert squeezed hers in return.

"You fought beautifully today," Hubert said finally, breaking the comfortable silence.

"So did you. It's still impressive to me that you can alternate spellcasting and swordplay in combat so easily. I've never seen anything like it."

"You flatter me. I merely had a good teacher." Hubert noted the pink hue of Byleth's cheeks in the darkness and he stopped walking, pulling her against his strong chest and kissing her. Byleth hummed against his lips and slid her arms up to wrap around his neck, closing her eyes. 

Over the next couple of minutes, the kiss deepened and their breathing got a little heavier. It was almost as though they were starved of each other and in a way, Byleth supposed they had been. During the march to Derdriu, there had been little time to stop and enjoy each other. When they weren't marching, they were going over battle tactics with Edelgard or getting much-needed sleep to prepare for the next long stretch of marching.

Hubert pressed Byleth against the trunk of a nearby tree with his body, his erection pressing against her through the fabric of his trousers and causing her to gasp. Byleth broke the kiss, gazing up at him breathlessly.

"We can't," she whispered. "Not here." Hubert busied himself with nipping at her throat and she tilted her head back with an excited shiver.

"Why not?" he murmured with a smirk that she could clearly feel against her neck. "Are you that embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"No!" Byleth said quickly. "Of course not. It's just… I don't much like the idea of someone watching us."

"Let them look." Hubert pulled one of Byleth's legs up to wrap around him, fingers lightly squeezing her thigh through her tights in a way that could only be described as possessive. "Let them see who you belong to."

Heat writhed in Byleth's belly like a snake at the husky tone that accompanied Hubert's words, her body already aching for him. She rubbed against him insistently, biting her lip at the quiet growl he uttered. His fingers eased under her cloak and started tugging her shorts down her legs. The garment slid completely off the leg that was hoisted up around Hubert's waist, remaining trapped around the boot still planted firmly on the ground.

A part of her was embarrassed that such a private part of her was exposed in a place anyone would be able to find them if they merely strayed far enough from camp, but another darker part of her psyche — the part that meshed perfectly with Hubert's darkness — was excited by the prospect. It was a very confusing mix of shame and eagerness that made her head spin.

Hubert's gloves were pulled off one at a time by his teeth, a hungry look in his eyes that made things deep inside of Byleth quiver. One of those hands found its way between her legs, rubbing against her clit. She gasped sharply, covering her mouth with her hand as quickly as she could for fear of crying out and waking someone up. His fingers played her like a finely tuned instrument, every flick against that sensitive bud causing her to quake against him and whimper.

Hubert chuckled. "For someone so concerned about being discovered, you are making an awful lot of noise."

She glared at him.

"Oh dear, have I struck a nerve? Here, let me see if I can strike another."

He pushed two fingers into her then and she moaned, trembling and pushing down onto his fingers. It wasn't enough. Hubert curled his fingers inside of her, searching, and when he found that sensitive bundle of nerves deep inside that he had been looking for, it was everything she could do to keep herself from screaming.

"It's not enough, is it?" Hubert purred into her ear, rubbing his fingertips repeatedly against that spot. "Why don't you tell me exactly what you want? I am many things, but a mind-reader is not one of them, I'm afraid."

"Damn you, Hubert," Byleth panted, trembling with need as his fingers worked their magic. "Please…"

"Please  _ what? _ " He pressed against that bundle of nerves again, but more insistently this time. Byleth was soaked, and he ached to feel that wet heat around his cock, but he was enjoying this game far too much. He wanted to hear her beg.

"Take me," Byleth said finally, unable to stand it anymore. Hubert was driving her crazy, and she could tell that he knew it, too. Her cheeks blazed hot with embarrassment. How desperate must she look?

Now that his little game had been won, Hubert slid his fingers out of Byleth and made quick work of his belt. There was something thrilling about doing this almost fully clothed, and it was more convenient due to the present circumstances. His cock was freed from its confines and he lifted both of Byleth's legs to wrap around his waist, wasting no time pushing it into her. He groaned as the silky, hot cavern swallowed him up, his pale green eyes full of lust as he watched Byleth's face contort in pleasure.

Byleth held on for dear life, gasping and moaning in Hubert's arms. Gravity ensured that he entered her completely in one thrust, which ordinarily would have been uncomfortable but because of how turned-on she already was, it was wonderful. She trembled between his strong body and the tree trunk, clenching around him in every sense of the word.

Hubert began to move almost immediately, his hands holding her firmly in place as his hips rocked into her from below. His pace was on the faster side as he lost himself in how good she felt around him, panting softly into the hollow of her throat.

Byleth had to bite her lip almost hard enough to draw blood to keep the volume of her cries down to a more reasonable level. She grabbed his hair and tugged his head back enough to kiss him, their tongues tangled in a passionate battle. Every thrust of Hubert's cock brought her closer and closer to release, her inner walls spasming around him. Her moans were drowned by Hubert's lips when her climax hit her mere minutes later.

Hubert released a husky moan into Byleth's mouth when his own orgasm hit a short time later, every muscle in his body tensing with ecstasy as he spilled into her. He broke the kiss and panted, cheeks flushed as he smiled up at her. "I trust you enjoyed that?"

Byleth almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the inquiry. "You really have to ask?" Hubert slid out of her as he softened, and he lowered her carefully to her own feet once he could think straight.

When she felt his seed starting to trickle down her thighs, Byleth couldn't help but feel hot with embarrassment. She and Hubert had really just had sex out in the open, where anyone could have stumbled upon them. It was wrong, but something about the risk had been so tantalizing at the same time.

"Oh dear… U-um, Hubert?"

"Yes?" Hubert finished making himself presentable, making sure nothing was out of place. If it weren't for the light flush still on his face, anyone looking at Hubert would have been none the wiser about what just occurred between he and Byleth. 

"I… don't suppose you have a handkerchief on you, do you?"

Hubert smirked and handed one over. Byleth rolled her eyes with a smile and took it, cleaning herself up.

_ Smug bastard, _ she thought fondly. Once she was decent, she pulled her shorts back up and looked around her as she tried to determine what to do with the soiled handkerchief.

"You can just throw it away," Hubert said. "It's of no consequence to me." She did just that and he kissed her softly, resting a gloved hand against her cheek as he did.

"Come; let's get you back to your tent. We have a long walk ahead of us tomorrow."

"Will you join me tonight?" Byleth asked shyly. "In my tent, I mean..."

"Nothing would please me more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got some big things planned for the next few chapters, so strap yourselves in: it's about to get wild.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Eagles return to Garreg Mach and Dorothea struggles with a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm already hard at work on chapter 6! 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind comments and your kudos. It warms my heart to know so many of you are enjoying this story of mine.

The absence of a battle ahead of them ensured that the week’s march back to Garreg Mach was much easier on the army than their march to Derdriu. The first sight of the towering, majestic structure on the horizon filled them with hope and relief, and the hearts of the Black Eagle Strike Force were also lifted.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Dorothea sighed, smiling. She was seated on the back of Sylvain’s horse, her arms wrapped around his waist. She had been reluctant to climb up at first, since Sylvain was… himself, but the necessity outweighed her pride and eventually, she relented. Dorothea looked over her shoulder at the others and when she spotted Byleth and Hubert, she bit her lip softly. Something was weighing on her mind, and had been since the day of the battle. She  _ had _ to talk about it.

“Hey, Sylvain… what do you think about Hubert and the professor?”

“It was unexpected, but they seem like they’re on the same page. The only other person I’ve ever seen Hubert genuinely smile at is Edelgard, after all, so the fact that he looks at the professor that way…” Sylvain trailed off. “Why do you ask?”

Dorothea hesitated. Should she say what was actually on her mind, or should she not? She didn’t trust Sylvain to not blab to someone else, but maybe if she swore him to secrecy…

“Dorothea?”

“I… I saw them.”

“What do you mean?” Sylvain glanced over his shoulder at Dorothea, suddenly very interested.

“I saw them together. You know… doing things.”

“What kinds of things?”

Dorothea glared at Sylvain suspiciously, frowning. “You just want to hear me say it, don’t you?”

Sylvain laughed, smirking at her. “Maybe.”

“You never change. Fine; I saw them having sex.”

“ _ Seriously? _ And to think, all this time, I thought Hubert didn’t have the capacity for urges like that. Way to go, Hubert,” Sylvain said, amused. “When was this? Did they see you?”

“Of course they didn’t! I hid. It was the day we beat Claude’s army. I was going for a little walk that night, just to clear my head and enjoy the fresh, clean air, and I heard something nearby. So, I let my curiosity get the best of me and went to check it out, and… I saw them.” Dorothea's cheeks flushed at the memory and she glanced away, embarrassed.

"If they didn't see you, then what's the problem?"

"I feel bad. I mean, I literally caught them with their pants down and in a private, loving embrace, and I've had to act like I wasn't peeping! I've barely been able to make eye contact with either of them all week."

"Having a conscience isn't a bad thing, you know."

"Should I… talk to them about it? And apologize?"

"The professor is more the forgiving type than Hubert, I think. If it would make you feel better, talk to her about it. I'm sure if you explain things, she won't be angry with you. Then  _ she _ can deal with telling Hubert, if she thinks she needs to."

"Yeah… You're right. I'll talk to her when we get there. And, Sylvain?"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone what I told you. It stays between us, okay? I mean it."

"Well, well, well… are you prepared to buy my silence then, m'lady?" 

Dorothea's brow furrowed and she playfully smacked Sylvain on the back of the head. "You're ridiculous." She sighed and shook her head. "Fine. What do you want?"

"How about… having dinner with me when we get back?" Sylvain sounded hopeful. "Just the two of us."

"Are you seriously propositioning me right now?"

"Is it working?"

Dorothea just smiled and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I accept your invitation."

Sylvain's expression softened. "You won't regret it. I promise."

"That remains to be seen."

***************

It was only a few hours more before they reached the monastery, and a collective wave of relief swept over the army. They had been on the move for so long, it was going to be amazing sleeping in their own beds. Sylvain helped Dorothea off the back of his horse, his hands lingering for a moment on her waist before moving away. He smiled at her, and that was when Dorothea noticed something very uncharacteristic of him.

_ Wait… is he blushing? _

"Thank you," she said to him sweetly. "I'll see you in the dining hall at, let's say… sunset?" That would give her a few hours to freshen up, at least.

"I'll see you then." Sylvain winked at her before leading his horse back to the stables, his usual confidence showing in every step. Dorothea caught herself watching how his shoulders moved when he walked and blushed deeply, quickly turning away.

_ Get ahold of yourself, Dorothea. Sylvain acts like that toward everyone with breasts. There's no use reading into it. _

She walked toward the monastery's main entrance, looking around her for that familiar head of seafoam-colored hair. She needed to tell Byleth the truth sooner rather than later. If she didn't, the guilt of keeping it secret would overcome her. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find her.

Byleth was standing on the second level of the entrance hall with Hubert and Edelgard, discussing something with them. Dorothea watched them curiously for a moment, trying to gauge if it was an appropriate time to approach or if she should wait. 

Edelgard was the first to notice her standing a short distance away and when she did, she motioned her forward. Dorothea accepted the invitation, her smile apologetic and sweet as ever.

"I don't mean to interrupt, Edie, but I was wondering if I might borrow the professor for a bit. There's something I'd like to discuss with her in private."

"Of course. Professor, I will find you later and we can continue this conversation. Hubert, would you come with me? There is something I must discuss with you as well," Edelgard said, looking up at the dark-haired man who had been her shadow since childhood. Dorothea found herself wondering if Byleth ever got jealous of how close the two of them were.

"I have no pressing matters to attend to as of right now, so you have my full attention, Your Majesty," Hubert said formally, bowing his head slightly. "Byleth, I will be sure to seek you out later. For now, you should get some rest. It has been a long day."

Byleth nodded, and Dorothea noted the dusting of pink across her cheeks. She smiled at the sight but said nothing until Hubert and Edelgard were out of earshot. 

"You're cute when you blush like that, Professor," Dorothea teased with a light giggle. "I never would have guessed  _ Hubie _ could make you so happy." 

"Shush now," Byleth commanded half-heartedly, her smile a bashful one. "Intimidating though he may be to some, he has a good heart."

"You might be one of the only people who thinks so," Dorothea admitted, "but I'm happy for you both. You seem good for each other."

They walked together to one of the more seldom-used courtyards of Garreg Mach and once Dorothea ascertained that they were alone, she sat down on one of the benches there and invited Byleth to join her.

"What did you want to speak to me about, Dorothea?" Byleth asked curiously. "You seemed like you wanted to talk about something very important."

"It  _ is _ important." Dorothea inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, mustering up as much courage as she could. "All I ask is that, before I tell you… you promise not to get too angry with me."

"Angry? Why would I be angry?"

"Please, just… promise me."

"Okay, I promise. Now, out with it, Dorothea. You're making me nervous."

"You and Hubie… I saw you together." When Dorothea only received a questioning look from Byleth, she hesitated before elaborating as delicately as she could. "The day of the battle. That night… I saw the two of you. Near the edge of the forest."

Byleth looked puzzled for a minute, but once the realization hit her about what Dorothea was referring to, her eyes widened and that blush returned to her face at full force. 

"You saw…? Oh.  _ Oh… _ " Byleth looked away from the former Opera singer, hands clasped tightly on her lap as she struggled to find the right words. "How much did you…?"

"Um… All of it, I'm afraid."

Byleth groaned and hid her face in her hands out of embarrassment. Dorothea placed a hand on her back and rubbed gently in a way she hoped was comforting, frowning.

"I'm sorry," Byleth murmured, surprising her. 

"You needn't be embarrassed, Professor. I have no intention of telling anybody else what I saw, and… honestly, I thought it was a wonderful thing. I always assumed Hubert would confess his love to Edie one day — I even teased him about it once when we were students here — but the way he looks at you… I've never seen him look at her like that."

When Byleth uncovered her face to look at her, Dorothea smiled reassuringly. "You love each other, and nothing is more beautiful in this world than being able to freely express that love with everything you are. So, I am sorry for spying on you two… but you shouldn't be sorry that I saw."

Dorothea sighed. "Oh dear… That made much more sense in my head."

"It's okay," Byleth said softly, smiling shyly at Dorothea and straightening up beside her on the bench. "I understood it. I… Thank you, Dorothea, for telling me."

The former songstress beamed. "You don't need to thank me. I have to ask, though: are you going to tell Hubie?"

"I probably should, but… what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

"You fiend!" They both laughed with abandon, and Dorothea's heart felt so much lighter. "To be honest, I'm jealous of you, Professor."

"Jealous? Why?"

"You've found someone to love you and do what he can to make you happy, and you love him in return. That's something I've always wished to find, and yet…"

"What about Sylvain?"

Dorothea blushed, in spite of her best efforts not to. "Professor?"

"Oh come now, I saw you two getting cozy on the way here. Your arms around him, the two of you talking and laughing together. You looked happy."

Dorothea didn't know what to say. Sylvain was handsome, and he was a noble, which she had been saying for years that she wanted in a man, but…

"You know Sylvain as well as I do," she stated with a sad smile. "He treats all women that way; it's in his nature. There's nothing between us."

"But you want there to be something," Byleth observed, bringing Dorothea pause. "I think you should pursue the possibility that there's something more between you two that you're not seeing, or choosing not to see."

"Where can I get some of your confidence, Professor?" Dorothea sighed, the corners of her lips turning up in an uncertain smile. "Well… if that is what you think I should do, I suppose there is no harm in trying. He invited me to dine with him this evening, but—”

“There you go! A perfect opportunity.” The two got to their feet and Byleth set a reassuring hand on Dorothea’s shoulder. “You’re a lovely, kind and intelligent young woman, Dorothea. Sylvain would be a lucky man.”

“Maybe not as lucky a man as Hubie, Professor.” Byleth blushed. Dorothea giggled.

******************

“Is something wrong, Your Majesty?” 

Edelgard had brought Hubert up to the third floor of the monastery, which was almost never used anymore. It was the former living quarters of Rhea, and Edelgard only ever brought him up there if there was something she wanted him and no one else to hear. Edelgard motioned for Hubert to take a seat and he obliged, sitting in one of the high-backed chairs by the fireplace and resting his hands calmly on the armrests. Edelgard sat across from him in the other chair, crossing her legs and watching him closely. She smiled.

“Nothing is  _ wrong _ , necessarily,” Edelgard responded. “I would merely like to have a little chat with my dearest, oldest friend. Is that wrong of me?”

Hubert shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Good.” Edelgard leaned forward slightly and laced her fingers under her chin, tilting her head in thought as she watched his every little movement. Hubert couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy by how closely Edelgard was observing him. Usually it was  _ he _ who had the unsettling stare, so having it directed at him was… unnerving.

“How goes your relationship with Byleth?” Edelgard asked finally.

“Ah…” Hubert closed his eyes for a moment, smiling. “It’s going well. We haven’t had much time alone together as of late, but—”

“She makes you happy.”

“I… Yes.” Hubert’s expression softened slightly, but there was a hint of suspicion in those green eyes of his. It wasn’t like Edelgard at all to interrupt him. “Happier than I have been in a long time. Forgive me, but this feels more like an interrogation than a mere conversation between friends, Your Majesty.”

Edelgard laughed softly. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” She got to her feet and wandered over to one of the large bedroom windows, gazing out over the monastery grounds. The view from the third floor was truly breathtaking, and she could certainly understand why Rhea would keep it to herself. She sighed.

“I will get to the point then.” She turned once more to face Hubert, her expression suddenly very serious. She truly looked the part of an Emperor in the way she carried herself, and Hubert sat up straighter in the wake of that piercing stare. "Since the beginning of this new development, I have had my concerns. While I am pleased you have found someone to love, I cannot help but wonder if that love you have for her will… cloud your judgment."

"What are you implying?"

"You know exactly what I'm implying. Since we were children, you have sworn your fealty to me time and time again. Your loyalty has never wavered, and you have done everything in your power to ensure things go my way. Now, your loyalty is focused in two different directions."

Hubert got to his feet and frowned, crossing his arms. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Your Majesty—"

"You don't see how that could pose a problem? Very well… In a scenario where my life is in danger and her life is in danger, who would you choose to save?"

That gave Hubert pause. His hesitation was the only answer Edelgard needed and she smiled sadly, shaking her head. "I know you love her, and I respect that. It makes me happy that you're happy… but I don't want your love for her to make you hesitate like it just did, Hubert,  _ especially _ on the battlefield. I need to know that you will always choose your duty to the Empire — to me — first and foremost, while Rhea yet lives. If I die, so does any dream I have of uniting the people of Fódlan."

"I would  _ never _ allow that to happen," Hubert said solemnly, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. "I understand your concern, Lady Edelgard… but I swear to you, nothing has changed. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that we win this war. You have my word.”

“Good. Now that I’ve said my piece, you may go. Get some rest. It has been a long couple of weeks, and you have earned it. Should I need you again, I will come find you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” With that, Hubert turned on his heel and left the room, making his way back down to the monastery’s main floor. The conversation had taken him by surprise, and he didn’t like the feeling it brought in the pit of his stomach. With every step, Edelgard’s words echoed louder and louder at the back of his mind:  _ Who would you choose to save? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought that was a good stopping point for this chapter, but don't worry. Chapter 6 is coming soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth pays Manuela a visit in the infirmary. Hubert puts his interrogation skills to good use and learns the enemy's next move...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Two weeks passed without incident after their return to the monastery. Life continued as normal, as Byleth expected it would. Her allies trained and honed their skills with as much determination as ever, and every afternoon, she would meet with Hubert and Edelgard and they would discuss any new developments in the war effort that required immediate attention. There was usually nothing new or consequential, but every so often, they got word from their patrols of suspected Church or Kingdom activity that needed investigating. An inevitable fact weighed upon her mind every time they received one of these reports: Rhea and her knights would eventually come to reclaim the monastery. It was a question of _when_, not _if_. When that day did arrive, they needed to be ready for them. 

After that became her daily routine from sunrise to sunset, nightfall had quickly become Byleth’s favorite time of day. Every night, she would return to her quarters and get ready for bed and once all of his nightly duties were complete, Hubert would join her. He would knock twice, she would let him in, then all thoughts of anything other than each other would quickly vanish from their minds as they set upon each other. Byleth had come to learn that Hubert had a couple of different moods in the bedroom, and they each had some kind of tell that let her know what kind of night she was in for the moment she opened the door to let him inside. 

If he wanted to be gentle with her, his shoulders would be more relaxed and once the door closed, he would cup her face in his hands and just kiss her for a while before making love to her. By contrast, if he was in the mood for something rougher, he would be wound tight and visibly trying to control himself. He would swallow heavily and cross the threshold, then once the door closed… all that tension was released in a flurry of movement as he pressed her against the door with his body and pulled her into a rough, almost desperate kiss. He would ravish her then — sometimes for hours — until they were both satisfied, and then they would fall asleep in each other's arms.

Most mornings, he would wake up before her and quietly get dressed before leaving and going about his morning duties. That morning was no different, but when she did wake up, something didn't feel right. Her stomach felt like it was tied in painful knots, and when she shifted her position slightly in an attempt to relieve the discomfort, a wave of nausea swept over her. She got out of bed slowly, trying to control her breathing and deal with the nausea, but it was only getting worse. 

She had to throw up; there was no stopping it. She hurried to make it to the empty pot in the corner of her room that was generally used for other bodily functions, but by the time she got there, the nausea that had come so quickly and strongly, subsided. She uttered a careful sigh of relief, still measuring her breaths just in case it returned.

_ I really shouldn't have eaten all of those sweets with Annette yesterday, _ she thought with a hint of self-deprecating amusement. Clearly, her gluttony was coming back to bite her. She had made her stomach upset with too many sweets before, but she normally got sick within hours of eating, not the next morning.

_ There's a first time for everything, I guess. _

Byleth located her clothes on the floor and started picking them up, moving slowly and carefully to avoid aggravating her upset stomach. She got a glimpse of her mostly nude body in the mirror as she pulled her shorts up her slender legs and blushed deeply when she noticed the dark welt on her collarbone. Hubert had been on the rough side the previous night, but he at least had the forethought to put his marks in places that couldn't be seen when she was fully dressed. She gingerly touched the bruise with her fingertips, smiling. Had she told the version of herself from five years ago that she would be waking up in the morning with bites from Hubert on her porcelain skin, her past self wouldn't have believed a single word of it.

She pulled the rest of her clothes on and strapped her sword to her belt before leaving her quarters, the sound of her boots echoing on the stone floor as she made her way to the infirmary.  _ Hopefully Manuela has something that will settle my stomach, or it's going to be a  _ very  _ long day… _

When she reached the infirmary, she stepped over the threshold and knocked gently on the wall to get Manuela's attention. The older woman looked up from her book at the noise and smiled when she saw her.

"Ah, Professor. What a pleasant surprise." Manuela closed the book and got up, brushing the wrinkles out of her dress with both hands before clasping her fingers in front of her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm afraid I'm not here for a social call this time, Manuela," Byleth apologized, taking a seat when invited to do so. "Truth be told, I woke up feeling quite ill."

"Ill? Oh dear." Manuela stood in front of Byleth and rested the back of her hand against her forehead, frowning. "You don't have a fever, so that's a good sign. What seems to be troubling you?"

"My stomach. I woke up feeling like I was going to vomit, but it never ended up happening."

"I see. Did you eat anything out of the ordinary recently?"

"Yes, actually. Annette baked some delicious cupcakes last night and between the two of us, we ate the whole tray."

"Two things are concerning to me about that," Manuela interjected, brow furrowed. "Firstly, how in the  _ world _ could you eat so many sweets and not feel sick  _ immediately _ afterward? And secondly… Annette made them. She hasn't always been the best in the kitchen; surely this is common knowledge."

"Dorothea has been teaching her, and I'm told she's doing quite well," Byleth answered with a little laugh. "The cupcakes were perfect. My eyes were simply much bigger than my stomach, as is sometimes the case."

Manuela shook her head in disbelief, an amused smile on her beautiful face. It occurred to Byleth that she had no idea how old Manuela was. She only knew that Manuela was much older than her, but age was one of those things she was fairly certain the former songstress would be loathe to discuss even in the most innocent and conversational of contexts. She wandered over to a nearby cabinet and opened the glass doors, rifling inside for a moment before coming out with a small vial full of pale pink liquid. She handed it to Byleth.

"Drink this. It should help with the nausea. Please do come back if you start to experience any other symptoms, Professor. It wouldn't do for you to be sick right now."

"Thank you, Manuela." Byleth uncorked the vial and downed the liquid in one gulp, wincing at how bitter it was.

"Ugh… why does medicine  _ always _ have to taste so awful?"

Manuela rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That's not even the worst one I have here."

"I'll take your word for it." Byleth got to her feet. "Please excuse me; I must find Hubert and Edelgard for today's briefing." She got to her feet and thanked the healer once more before leaving the infirmary and making her way down the hall to the audience chamber. Behind her, Manuela watched her leave, a thoughtful expression on her face.

As Byleth approached the audience chamber, she could very clearly hear an argument. One of the voices was unmistakably Ferdinand, wish was surprising. He didn't usually stand in on these meetings; he and the others were usually filled in on important matters afterward, if Edelgard deemed it necessary. She seemed to have walked in during a particularly heated conversation; Hubert and Ferdinand both looked angry.

"Our soldiers are still recovering after Derdriu," Ferdinand said loudly, which was very out of character for him. "You  _ cannot _ be serious!"

"What would  _ you _ propose we do?" Hubert hissed back. "Wait until they are on our doorstep?"

"Our people are not ready for another battle, Hubert. If you send the whole army out there right now, you will be sending them to their deaths! Is that what you want?"

"Enough!" Edelgard's voice was strong and authoritative, echoing off the walls and making the two men fall silent almost immediately. "Squabbling like children will get us nowhere." That was when she noticed Byleth near the door, and she frowned.

"Ah, Professor… There you are. You must have been tired," Edelgard noted. "I was going to come fetch you, but Hubert advised me I should let you sleep for a while longer."

_ Tired, indeed, _ Byleth thought, quirking an eyebrow at Hubert, whose lips were turned up in the faintest smirk.  _ I wonder whose fault _ that _ is. _

"I do appreciate the thought, Edelgard," Byleth stated, taking her place by Hubert's side. "What's going on? I heard yelling."

Ferdinand crossed his arms, his expression grim. "It was mine and Caspar's turn to patrol this morning. We went as far as Remire Village, and when we got there, we found two suspicious men lurking about. They obviously weren't commoners. One of them was wearing armor that looked very much like the attire of Faerghus knights, and the other was wearing simple leather armor."

"Scouts?"

"That is our assumption, yes," Hubert responded. "We have always known that Rhea plans to take back the monastery. We have been expecting it for weeks. Now that she is making her move, we must act."

"I never said that we shouldn't act," Ferdinand stated heatedly. "My protest was against the means. Right now, our army is still recovering. We are in a better position here where we can fortify the monastery and defend it than if we marched out to meet Rhea on the battlefield. It would be suicide."

"Ferdinand does have a point, Hubert," Byleth said, her expression apologetic when he narrowed his eyes at her in displeasure. "As do you, but Ferdinand is right. If we send our army to battle again so soon after Derdriu, we won't last. We would stand a better chance if we hold our position here."

" _ Thank you! _ " Ferdinand exclaimed with relief, throwing his hands up in the air in a grand gesture.

" _ But _ ," Byleth continued, "we need to know what Rhea and her knights are planning. We need to know when they're going to strike; how they're going to strike; how many of them there will be."

Edelgard nodded, contemplating Byleth's words. "The two that Ferdinand and Caspar apprehended must know something. If Rhea did send them, they will at least be able to give us a clue as to how long we have to prepare."

"Perhaps an interrogation is in order," Hubert mused, stroking his chin in thought. "Even the strongest men can be broken with the right amount of pressure. I can find out what they are hiding."

"You're implying torture," Ferdinand said with a note of alarm in his voice. "What are we, animals?"

"For some, even the prospect of pain would be enough to get them to talk," Hubert explained coolly. "I wouldn't have to lay a finger on them."

"I'll go with you," Byleth offered, catching even Hubert by surprise. "If your method doesn't work, perhaps mine will."

"And what method is that?" Hubert asked incredulously, frowning slightly at her.

"I'll be the balm for your sting."

***********

The two men were being held in the Knights' Hall. There were ropes keeping their hands behind their backs, their ankles also tied so they couldn't escape. At some point after they were captured, their armor and weapons had been stripped from them, leaving them in simple tunics and pants. One was at least two decades older than the other, who seemed barely old enough to be considered an adult. The older man had a defiant air about him, and the younger seemed like he was trying too hard to rein in his fear. He was obviously the least seasoned fighter of the two, and Byleth noted that he looked oddly familiar.

Hubert walked up to them both while Byleth stayed back, smirking down at them. "Well, well… what have we here? A couple of rats?"

"Fuck off," the older man gruffed, holding his head high. "You won't be getting anything from us."

"Is that right?" Hubert chuckled, circling the two slowly as though he were some sort of vulture and looking them over thoughtfully.  _ Looking for weaknesses, _ Byleth noted. 

"L-Let us go," stammered the younger man, swallowing heavily.

"Be  _ quiet _ , boy," warned the older man. "I told you to let  _ me _ do the talking."

The younger man ignored him, trembling. "Please, we… we won't say anything to—"

The older man glared at the younger with those stormy grey eyes and shouldered him roughly to silence him. Hubert's lips turned up at the corner in a small smirk.

"It would benefit you greatly to cooperate with us," Hubert stated, reaching with his right hand into his left sleeve and slowly revealing the glistening dagger he had hidden there. The younger man's eyes widened, transfixed on the deadly blade. 

"F-Father, I… don't think he's bluffing."

"Ah, so this is your  _ son _ . That explains a lot: incompetence is often passed through blood." The knife was drawn out of the small sheath hidden in Hubert's sleeve and quick as a flash, he had the tip pressed under the younger man's chin. 

"Leave him alone!" the older man roared. "For fuck's sake, he's just a boy! I brought him with me because he insisted I not go alone; he's got nothing to do with anything!"

"Hubert, enough," Byleth said, moving forward and placing a hand on the arm holding the dagger. Hubert complied, moving the dagger away from his neck. She looked at the two men calmly, gaze lingering once more on the one who looked somehow familiar. "Did you used to attend the Officers Academy? I know I have seen your face before. What is your name?"

"Calenn," he responded. "I-I was in the Blue Lion House…"

"Ah yes, I remember… You were a very bright student." She looked at Calenn's father then, smiling. "And your name?"

The older man eyed her suspiciously, contemplating her tone before responding. "That depends on who's asking."

"Byleth," she answered, introducing herself. "I was a professor here at the monastery."

"Ah… so  _ you're _ the one." He scoffed, glaring at her. "The name's Jorren."

"If only our introduction were under better circumstances," Byleth mused. She frowned. "I know why you're here. I know who sent you. If you tell us what you know… I promise you and your son will be able to return to Faerghus unharmed."

"Why should I trust a word you say? Rhea trusted you too, then you threw in your lot with this fucking prick and his waif of an emperor!"

Hubert's expression became one of thinly veiled rage when Edelgard was insulted and his dagger found Calenn's throat once again, only this time, it drew a little bit of blood. The young man hissed sharply in pain, looking over at Jorren with wide, panicked eyes.

"Don't test me, Sir Jorren," Hubert murmured venomously. "If you do, I fear my wrist may just slip and nick something rather important."

"Bastard!" Jorren watched the drop of blood sliding down Calenn's neck, swallowing heavily with apprehension. Now that blood had been drawn, he knew for sure that Hubert wasn't bluffing. He was fully willing to hurt his son if he didn't get answers.

"Alright.  _ Alright. _ I'll talk, just… lower your dagger." Jorren's voice was pained, as though his pride was seriously wounded by pleading for his son's life. "King Dimitri sent us to scout out the monastery for Lady Rhea. She intends to reclaim it, but that's all I know; I swear!" 

"Do you know when we can expect them?"

"She was careful not to give us too many details in the event we didn't make it back, but if I had to guess… within a fortnight."

It was in that moment that Byleth began to feel very strange; unsteady. The dizzy spell had come on so quickly, and her head felt like it was spinning. She placed a hand on a nearby post to steady herself, her field of vision narrowing into a tunnel that left her feeling very disoriented.

"Hubert," she said to get her lover's attention. When he turned to see what she wanted and saw her in the state she was in, his eyes widened and he lowered his dagger from Calenn's throat, slipping it back into the sheath in his sleeve. He quickly moved toward her, setting a hand on her shoulder to steady her when she wobbled on her feet.

"Byleth, what's wrong?" His silky voice was thick with worry. "Talk to me."

"I-I don't feel so…" That was all Byleth could muster before everything went black.

She fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear, things aren't looking so good, are they? See you in the next one. ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth gets some unbelievable news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got very emotional while writing this one, haha. I love fluff so much. Anyway, enjoy! Keep the lovely comments and feedback coming. <3 They truly do make my day.

" — leth… Byleth… Can you hear m — "

She slowly swam her way back up into consciousness, her brow furrowing as she gradually became more aware of her surroundings. She groaned softly and opened her eyes, still feeling disoriented. She was lying down in a bed, but it wasn't her own. She glanced around her, wondering where she was, and it didn't take long for her to realize she was in the infirmary, and she wasn't alone. Hubert was seated in a chair beside her bed, and she felt the softness of one of his gloved hands on top of hers. She slowly turned her head to look at him, smiling softly.

"You're awake," he murmured, relief apparent in his voice. He smiled slightly at her and squeezed her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Drained. What… what happened?" she asked. Her memory was a bit fuzzy. The last thing she remembered was Hubert interrogating two men in the Knights' Hall, then… nothing. Just darkness.

"You fainted while I was questioning the two that were apprehended by Ferdinand and Caspar in Remire. You told me you weren't feeling well, and then you lost consciousness." Hubert swallowed heavily, brow furrowed. "You gave me quite a fright."

"I'm sorry I worried you," Byleth whispered, smiling fondly at him. She didn't like that she'd caused trouble for him, but the fact that he cared about her enough to stay by her side made her feel warm inside. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours."

"I see." Byleth sighed and pressed the heels of her palms against her forehead, applying some pressure there to relieve the mild headache pounding away in her skull. "What happened to Calenn and Jorren?"

Hubert was silent for so long that Byleth had to look at him and make sure he heard her. It was then that she saw just how much worry she had caused him. He looked exhausted, almost like he hadn't slept in days. Byleth frowned, resting a hand softly on his knee to get his attention.

"Hubert…?"

"How can you ask me that so casually as though you weren't just unconscious for _ two hours _ without a known cause?" His tone was unexpectedly sharp, which made something clench uncomfortably in her gut. Had he really been so affected by her situation? 

"I'm sure it's just exhaustion," she said in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "I'm feeling better now. Really." She sat up carefully and cupped Hubert's face in her hands, resting her forehead against his and smiling at him. "I didn't mean to scare you, my love. I'm sorry."

Hubert smiled back at her, holding her hands with his and squeezing them gently. "There's no need for an apology. It's not as though you did it intentionally." He kissed her then and just like that, Byleth felt like everything was okay again.

"Forgive the intrusion." The sound of Manuela's voice breaking the silence was enough to make Byleth jump slightly and her lips separated from Hubert's, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. Manuela was watching them with a small grin, her arms crossed. "Hubert, would you mind leaving for a little while? Now that she is awake, I'd like to examine her and make sure all is well."

Hubert raised a brow at her, and Byleth nearly laughed when she realized why he was looking at Manuela with such incredulity: he had seen her naked on numerous occasions, so why did he need to leave the room for such an exam?

"It's alright, Hubert," Byleth said while trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. "I'll come find you later."

"Very well… If you insist." Hubert kissed her one more time before getting to his feet, and he offered Manuela a polite bow before making himself scarce and closing the door behind him.

The exam was over and done with relatively quickly, and it was one of the strangest experiences she had ever been through. It had been necessary for her to disrobe and for Manuela to touch her, but some of the places she'd needed to check had never been handled by another woman before, so those moments had left her feeling somewhat embarrassed. Manuela had reassured her several times as she worked and soothed her if anything hurt, and Byleth had to say she was impressed by the women's bedside manner. When it was done, Byleth thought it had gone well, so when she saw the look of concern on Manuela's face as she watched the liquid in a nearby flask change from clear to pale purple in color — the flask into which she had just squeezed a couple drops of blood from her finger — she was understandably confused and a bit scared.

"What's wrong?" Byleth asked as she finished putting her clothes back on, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I had a bit of a hunch this morning when you came to me complaining of intense nausea," Manuela began, picking up the flask in question and swirling it around for a moment. "Then, Hubert carried you in here a couple hours later, saying you had suddenly fainted. So, I decided to test my theory."

"And… what have you discovered?"

"Professor… you're pregnant."

Just like that, for what seemed like an eternity, it felt like time had stopped. Something about the revelation just seemed… _ wrong. _ She wasn't a fool; she knew _ how _ such a thing could occur. She and Hubert hadn't exactly been good at making sure he wasn't inside of her when he came, at least not in the first couple of weeks of their relationship. But, the thought that _ she _ could be with child, after everything she had experienced… It was unbelievable. It was terrifying. It was _ amazing. _

She had never known her mother. How was she supposed to know how to be one?

"Professor? Are you still with me?" Manuela's voice was enough to draw her from her stunned daze, her eyes still wide with shock. She sat heavily on the edge of the bed she'd woken up in, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm just…" Byleth trailed off, unsure of what to say. Manuela sat beside her on the bed and started rubbing her back in soothing little circles that really did make her feel a little better.

"Do you know when this might have happened? You're obviously still very early in the pregnancy, but since you've started showing the signs…"

"It… could have been from the first time we…" Byleth was so stunned that she didn't even feel the tears rolling down her cheeks until Manuela started wiping them away for her. "What am I going to do, Manuela?"

"Before you worry about anything else, you need to tell Hubert. He has a right to know."

"I know, but… I truly don't know if I can. At least, not yet… He already has so much on his mind, and I don't want to add even more to that list." Byleth wiped at her eyes, inhaling shakily. "Please don't tell him, Manuela. I will tell him when I'm ready, but right now… I just can't."

Manuela shook her head and sighed. "You _ must _. The longer you wait to tell him, the more upset he will be when he realizes you knew and kept it from him. It would be better to tell him now."

Byleth knew Manuela had a point. It wouldn't be fair to keep the news from him, as difficult as it may be to tell him. After a few minutes of silence, Byleth finally agreed.

"I'll… I'll tell him tonight. That gives me enough time to figure out how I'm going to do it, at least…"

"That's fair. Pull yourself together, then you may go." Manuela gave Byleth's hand a comforting squeeze, smiling warmly at her. "For what it's worth, Professor, I think you'll make an excellent mother."

"I pray that you're right."

*************

"You let them go without consulting me first?"

Edelgard was seething, and Hubert knew he was in trouble. Rightly so. When Byleth had fainted and he caught her in his arms before she hit the ground, in his moment of panic, he had told the guards to return the prisoners' things and release them. He had gotten what he needed out of them and at the time, that had been enough. The two would have been more trouble than they were worth if he _ hadn't _ let them go, or at least, that was what he told himself as he hurried Byleth to the infirmary. 

"I will not bore you with excuses, Your Majesty, for there are none that would satisfy you," Hubert stated. "I made a mistake, and I will willingly admit that."

Edelgard huffed angrily and stormed over to the window, gazing out at the darkening sky. Somewhere out there on the horizon, her enemies were waiting to pounce and reclaim the monastery, and now their best sources of information on what Rhea was planning and when she planned to do it, were gone.

"You seem so certain that that man told you everything he knew. What makes you so sure?" She looked at Hubert expectantly, waiting for him to give her a good answer.

"I had a dagger pressed to his son's throat," he stated. "I drew just enough blood to show him I wasn't bluffing, then he told me everything he knew. You know as well as I that I'm very good at being able to tell when someone is lying to me. It's all about the eyes, and I saw no deception in his; just concern for his son. What he gave me wasn't much, admittedly… but it was more than we had previously. Do you disagree, Lady Edelgard?"

"Not completely," she sighed. "But the information he gave you was so vague. He told you Rhea will launch an assault on the monastery within a fortnight. That's it. That could mean tomorrow, it could mean the next day, it could mean a week and a half from now. The point is, had you pushed harder, you may have learned more."

Edelgard fell silent for a few minutes and when Hubert made no attempt to break that silence, she continued in a soft, icy tone.

"Do you recall our conversation from two weeks ago, Hubert?"

Hubert's heart sunk. How could he forget? Her words had played in his head over and over again since they had been uttered, haunting him.

_ Who would you choose to save? _

"Yes… I remember."

"Do you see what I meant more clearly now? You were more concerned for your lover's well-being than your task, and you had a lapse in good judgment. It could have severe consequences, Hubert. In releasing those two prematurely, you may have put all of us at an even greater risk."

Hubert lowered his head and closed his eyes, brow furrowed. He knew Edelgard was right, and he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed of himself, but a greater part of him knew in that moment that taking care of Byleth first and foremost had been the wisest course. She was one of their most powerful assets. If her health was compromised and she had truly been in danger, they would have lost one of their biggest chances of winning the war. But, more importantly, he would have lost the one he loved, and _ that, _ he simply could not abide.

"You're right, and I am sorry. I will do my best to not act so impulsively in the future. However, I will not apologize for making Byleth's safety a priority."

Edelgard sighed and smiled slightly at him. "I don't require an apology for _ that _, Hubert. Had I someone so precious to me, I might do the same for them. You did the right thing in bringing her to Manuela; it is only your hastiness in regards to our prisoners that warranted an apology." She walked closer to Hubert and placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him as best she could.

"All I ask is that you put more thought into your actions in the future. Do I have your word that you will do so?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you, my friend. Now, we should begin fortifying the monastery as soon as we are able. Give the command to my generals. If Rhea is planning on attacking at any time in the next two weeks, we must be ready for her sooner rather than later."

***************

Night fell. Byleth sat on the edge of her bed in her nightgown and waited, listening to the crackling of her fireplace and wringing her hands anxiously in her lap. For hours, she had paced the monastery from end to end, trying to decide just how she was going to tell Hubert the news. He had been so busy that day running about and ensuring preparations were made for the imminent assault from Rhea's forces that the couple of times she had bumped into him, they had only the time to acknowledge each other in passing before he continued on his way.

The prospect of pregnancy was frightening with the current state of Fódlan, but now that she'd had a whole day to think about it more fully, a part of her was happy too. Amazingly, overwhelmingly happy. She thoughtfully rested a hand over her stomach, a tiny smile on her face.

A short time later, two knocks sounded on Byleth's door. She swallowed heavily and got to her feet, taking a deep breath and once again rehearsing in her head what she was going to say. She crossed to the door, opened it, and…

… was greeted by Dorothea. Byleth's heart sunk.

"Dorothea? What… what a pleasant surprise," she said, putting on a smile to hide her disappointment. "To what do I owe this late-night visit?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor," Dorothea apologized, smiling shyly at her and glancing over her shoulder into the room to make sure they were alone. "I know it's late, but I was hoping to speak with you about something, and I couldn't sleep. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course. Please." Byleth stepped aside to let Dorothea into the room and closed the door behind her. It was getting late… Where was Hubert? She invited Dorothea to sit beside her on the end of her bed, unable to hide her concern. It was very unlike Dorothea to visit her this late at night.

Dorothea looked unsure of how to begin and merely fidgeted for a few minutes before finally speaking. "Professor, do… do you remember a couple of weeks ago when you told me I should give Sylvain a chance?"

Byleth relaxed slightly and nodded, smiling. She couldn't help but be relieved that this wasn't about why Hubert hadn't arrived yet. "Yes, I remember. You dined with him that evening, if memory serves."

"I did. It was quite lovely, actually. He was a surprisingly perfect gentleman." Dorothea blushed, and Byleth watched her fondly. "Since then, we've been spending more time together. He still flirts, of course, but… it's different than how I've seen him flirt with other girls."

"Does he still flirt with other girls?"

"That's the thing: he hasn't, not since dinner that night."

That was a shock for Byleth, who had always known Sylvain to be a skirtchaser. Her expression softened and she set a hand lightly on Dorothea's shoulder.

"And… you're not sure what to make of it. Am I right?" Byleth asked, tilting her head in inquiry.

"Nothing gets past you, Professor. Beyond that though, I… I think I might…" Dorothea inhaled deeply and let it out slowly to steady her voice. "I think I might be in love with him."

Byleth hugged her gently, beaming. "Dorothea, that's great! Have you told him?"

"I want to, but… I've never actually been in love with anyone before. Not really. How do I tell him? Do I just come out and say 'Sylvain, I love you'? Should I lead into it with something else?" Dorothea sighed into Byleth's shoulder, exasperated. "I don't know what to do."

"The way I see it," Byleth began, "there is something more than friendship between you two, even as far as he's concerned. Not once in all the time I've known him have I _ ever _ seen Sylvain refrain from flirting with a woman. If he's flirting only with you, that's very telling, Dorothea. I think you should try to lead him into telling you how _ he _ feels first.”

“Do you really think he feels the same way?” Dorothea asked, her eyes sparkling at the prospect of it.

"I really do."

"Then I'll… I'll talk to him tomorrow." Dorothea bit her lip softly to stifle a smile and got to her feet, straightening out her nightgown. "Thank you so much for hearing me out, Professor. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"Think nothing of it. Truth be told, I was… um…"

"Waiting for Hubie?" When Byleth blushed in response, Dorothea giggled. "I see. Well, I'll leave you to it then. It would be rather awkward if he found me here at this hour, so I'll see myself out."

They said goodnight to each other, then Byleth was alone once more. She waited, and waited. Hours passed, but Hubert never showed up at her door. Giving up, Byleth climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin, gazing at the dark sky outside her window. She wrapped her arms slowly around herself, cradling her stomach. She could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes as she lay there and she inhaled shakily, blinking them away and letting them fall down her cheeks. Even though her thoughts were unbearably loud and her heart ached, she eventually drifted into a troubled sleep.

Byleth was awakened by the sound of her door opening and closing. She opened her eyes slightly at the noise, realizing immediately that it was still dark outside her window and that the fireplace still hadn't entirely burned itself out. She couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour. She glanced toward the door and when she saw Hubert wearing his own nightclothes, she smiled tiredly.

"I didn't think you were coming," she murmured when he got into bed beside her, snuggling back against his chest. His arms encircled her, and she hummed at their strength and the warmth they brought.

"I'm sorry," Hubert whispered back, trailing soft kisses down the side of Byleth's neck in apology. "I had much to do, and time sadly got away from me… Garreg Mach needs to be fortified quickly for when Rhea's knights arrive, and Her Majesty has made it my responsibility to see that it's done properly."

"You don't need to apologize. I understand." Byleth turned over so that she was facing Hubert and kissed him, resting her hands on his chest and gently curling her fingers in the fabric of his shirt. His lips moved softly against her own, his tongue brushing briefly against her bottom lip and sending a thrill up her spine. 

Gradually, the kiss started to deepen, and when she started feeling Hubert gently pulling her on top of him, she broke it. Her eyes glistened as she gazed down at him, and something in their depths caused his to fill with worry. He frowned, hands resting gently on her exposed thighs as she straddled his hips.

"What's wrong?" he asked, thumbs rubbing in little circles on her bare skin. "Are you still not feeling well? You never did have an opportunity to tell me how your physical went."

There it was: the opportunity she needed to tell him what was going on. She worried her lip with her teeth and tried hard to remember what she had already rehearsed saying so many times that day.

"Nothing is _ wrong _ , exactly," she began. "But, I guess that's all a matter of perspective. To say things are _ different _ would probably be more accurate…"

"What do you mean?"

"After the physical exam… Manuela did a test on me. A blood test. And, um…" Byleth sighed, frustrated with herself for having so much difficulty getting the words out. Why was it so hard? Perhaps she was going about things the wrong way. Perhaps words weren't the easiest _ or _ the best way to tell Hubert the news.

Just like that, she knew what she had to do.

One of her hands found one of his on her thigh, grasping it gently and moving it from its resting place. She slid his hand slowly up her leg and over her hip, the hem of her nightgown riding up more as their hands continued upward. She held the palm of Hubert's hand flat against her stomach and kept it there, blushing deeply and falling silent.

_ Please, let this be enough… _

Hubert's brow furrowed with confusion when Byleth began moving his hand, and when he saw where it came to rest, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly in thought. He looked at where their hands rested on her belly, felt the warmth and nervous tension of her fingers on his own… and everything fell into place. He exhaled a quiet gasp of surprise and propped himself up on his other elbow, his eyes becoming wide with sudden understanding as his fingers began to gently massage Byleth's stomach.

Their eyes met, and something he found there was all the confirmation he needed.

"You're…?"

Byleth simply nodded, a shy smile on her face. Hubert smiled back at her, stunned, and sat up to pull her into a deep kiss that made her practically melt on top of him. He cradled her face with his free hand, the other refusing to move from its place on her belly. 

"You're a wonder," he said quietly, lips brushing hers in a feather-light touch as he spoke. They gazed into each other's eyes silently for a moment, and Byleth felt her own fill with tears for the second time that night. This time though, they were tears of joy. Hubert wiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, his own eyes seeming to shimmer slightly in the gradually dying glow from the fireplace.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

They made love late into the night, surrounded by each other's bodies and absorbed in each other's love and hopeful of what their future would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all emotional now too? I hope so. :P 
> 
> See you in the next one!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorothea and Sylvain share a tender moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so in love with all of these characters. They're such a pleasure to write, and I'm glad I can share this journey with all of you. Without further ado, here's chapter 8! Please comment and leave kudos if you enjoy it!

The peace of that life-changing night was, unfortunately, short-lived. The next few days at the monastery were hectic and stressful for everyone as they tried fortifying the monastery as best they could, but no one seemed more stressed than Hubert. It was his responsibility to oversee all of the preparations, which involved lots of running around and lots of chastising if something wasn't done to his or Edelgard's standards. He was lucky to get a couple of hours' sleep a night nowadays, and Byleth hated seeing him so exhausted.

"Hubert,  _ please _ let me help you," Byleth said to him finally with a frown, grabbing his shoulder to stop him from hurrying off to yet another part of the monastery. "You're going to wear yourself out if you insist upon doing all of this yourself."

"Byleth, we have talked about this," Hubert sighed, pinching between his eyes with exasperation.

"I don't care; we're talking about it again, and as many times as we need to, until you let me help." Byleth was nothing if not stubborn. Truth be told, it was one of the things Hubert loved most about her. Even so, there were times when it could be troublesome, and it was becoming one of those times. Hubert turned and held her firmly by the shoulders, brow furrowed with frustration as he looked into her eyes. 

"Need I remind you, you are with child," he said coolly. "If you exert yourself too much—"

"I'll be fine, Hubert. It is still early, and Manuela said—"

"When Rhea's forces arrive," Hubert interrupted, shaking his head and silencing her argument, "you will stay out of the fighting."

Byleth was stunned. "Hubert… you can't be serious."

"Do I look like I'm speaking in jest?" Hubert's expression softened when he saw how his harsher-than-normal tone affected her, and he lowered his voice in apology. "It is true that you are one of our biggest assets in this war, and one of our best warriors… but now you're carrying my child, too. I cannot… I cannot risk losing either of you, Byleth."

"Hubert…" Byleth kissed him gently, a small smile on her face. Hubert wanted to protect her and the baby, and it was incredibly sweet. However…

"I understand why you are worried, but I have as much an obligation to fight and defend this place as you do. I swore myself to Edelgard's service, too, that day five years ago. It is my duty to fight alongside her in this. All I can promise you is that I will be extra careful on the battlefield. Until I am physically unable to fight due to my condition, I want to be there by your side when we win."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, closing her eyes when he returned the embrace. "We will get through this together, my love… or not at all."

Hubert rested a hand on the back of her head and held her close, resting his head atop hers and closing his eyes with a quiet sigh.

"You are so very stubborn," he murmured with a small smile. "But… you make a compelling argument. You're right. Until you are physically unable to wield your sword, I cannot stop you. However, if I see you taking  _ any _ unnecessary risks…"

"I won't. Don't worry; I know my limits." A thought occurred to Byleth then, and she looked up at Hubert curiously. "Does Edelgard know? You never told me you were going to tell her, but…"

"No, I have not told her. Nor am I going to, at least not until after the battle is done."

"You, keeping things from the Emperor? Goodness, that's not like you at all," Byleth teased.

Hubert chuckled softly. "I do keep things from her from time to time, but I always end up telling her eventually."

"Hey, lovebirds!"

Byleth turned her head when she heard Caspar's voice, remaining in Hubert's arms. "What is it, Caspar? Have you any news?"

Caspar shook his head and clasped his hands casually behind his head, grinning at the two of them. "No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if you've seen Petra anywhere today."

"I saw her this morning," Byleth answered. "She told me she was going out hunting with Shamir."

"Oh… She was supposed to go train with me, but I guess she decided not to."

Hubert smirked. "Why do you look so guilty, Caspar? Lover's quarrel?"

Caspar's face turned bright red and he glared indignantly at the taller man, standing as tall as he could. "N-no, it's nothing like that! Why would you even…?!"

Unfortunately, his defensive rebuttal was enough to prove that the opposite was true, which he could clearly see in Hubert's smug expression. He looked down at the ground, hands clenched into fists. "We…  _ did _ get into a little argument last night. But… I didn't think it was that big a deal!"

"I see. Well, wait until she gets back, then do something nice for her. Get her some flowers or something. You can't just tell her you're sorry; you need to show her, too."

Caspar sighed and put his hands on his hips, shaking his head with frustration and frowning at his feet. "You say that like it's an easy thing to do."

"It  _ is _ easy for someone who isn't a simpleton," Hubert muttered. Byleth elbowed him in the stomach for his crass comment, and he chuckled softly.

"What was that? I didn't hear you," Caspar stated, crossing his arms and eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nothing of import. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Hubert gave Byleth a quick parting kiss before walking away, leaving her and Caspar to their own devices. Caspar scoffed when he was out of sight, smirking.

"Well, that answers that question."

"What question?"

"Even with a girlfriend, Hubert will always have a stick firmly jammed up his—"

" _ Caspar _ ," Byleth warned, scolding him as she had numerous times while she was a teacher at the monastery.

The young man just laughed.

***************

Dorothea had told Byleth the night she came to visit her that she would talk to Sylvain the following day about her feelings, but she had never gotten the chance to do so. Everyone was so busy around the monastery that she hadn't been able to have a moment alone with him.

She sat upon a broken stone wall just outside the monastery grounds, lightly kicking her legs back and forth as she gazed up at the sky. Even now, Sylvain was training hard with Felix and Leonie at the training grounds. She would have been watching him and cheering him on, but she feared the look in her eyes might give away how she felt, and if he didn't feel the same way…

"There you are!"

Dorothea yelped softly, startled when the silence was broken by a familiar voice. She looked over her shoulder, finding Sylvain standing there. She blushed with embarrassment, frowning up at him.

"You can't just sneak up on a lady like that! You scared me!"

"Sorry, Dorothea. I didn't mean to scare you," Sylvain said, contrite. He glanced at the spot next to her before looking into her eyes, giving her a charming smile. Just like that, she wasn't angry with him anymore. "May I join you?"

Dorothea nodded slightly, scooting over a bit. "Do as you please." Her heart was still beating so fast from him startling her, and it only beat faster when he sat beside her. This was the first time they'd had a moment alone together in days, and she knew exactly what needed to happen. She looked down at her lap, squeezing her hands into fists beside her as she gathered as much courage as she could muster.

"Sylvain?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you, but… I haven't really had a chance to."

Sylvain's expression softened and he smiled warmly at her, seeing how anxious she was and wanting to reassure her in some way.

"We  _ have _ been pretty busy lately. What's on your mind, Dorothea?"

Dorothea hesitated, eyes shimmering. 

"Hey…" Sylvain rested a hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. Dorothea felt her heart skip a beat at the innocent contact. "You know you can tell me anything, right? You won't get any judgment from me; I promise."

"How do you feel about me?" Dorothea asked quickly, blush deepening as she finally turned her head to look at him.

It was Sylvain's turn to blush and he cleared his throat nervously, breaking eye contact with an embarrassed little smile as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Dorothea couldn't recall a time she'd ever seen Sylvain at a loss for words.

"Where did that come from all of a sudden?" he asked curiously, and Dorothea couldn't help but notice the absence of a real answer to her question. Answering a question with a question couldn't be a good sign, and the fact that she was already questioning herself made her feel like running away. She slid her hand out from under his and got to her feet, tears of embarrassment welling in her eyes.

"I just… Never mind. It was a stupid question. I… I should go." She looked away before Sylvain could see the tears falling down her cheeks, swallowing heavily. "Excuse me."

"H-hey, wait a sec!" Sylvain stood up and grabbed her forearm before she could walk away from him, pulling her around to face him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her tears and he gazed down at her fondly, bringing his free hand up to brush away her tears.

"None of that," he murmured. "You're much too beautiful for tears. Besides…" He smiled, cradling her cheek in his palm. 

"... what sort of man would I be if I let the woman I love run off crying?"

Dorothea gasped softly, and it was almost as though she felt the whole world stop. She replayed the last few moments in her head, the corners of her lips gradually turning up into a watery smile.  _ Did he just…? _

Sylvain's free hand found its way behind her and rested against her back, holding her closer to him. His eyes gradually closed as he leaned his head forward, and when their lips brushed, Dorothea melted into his arms. She closed her eyes and slowly kissed back, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt like she was dreaming, but she knew that couldn't be the case. Any dream she had of them kissing didn't feel nearly as good as this did.

The kiss broke a few minutes later, their lips still only a hair's breadth apart. Sylvain smiled, brushing his thumb across Dorothea's cheekbone and banishing the moisture there.

"I meant what I said," he whispered. "I'm not trying to flirt… I am in love with you, Dorothea. Only you, until the day I die."

"Sylvain… I love you, too." Dorothea kissed him again before nuzzling her head up under his chin and closing her eyes, completely absorbed in how his arms felt around her. "You'll make a handsome grandpa someday, I think."

He chuckled lightly. "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't lie to you."

Dorothea leaned up to kiss him again, but she didn't get the chance to before she saw Sylvain look over her shoulder at something in the distance and his eyes suddenly widened with alarm. 

" _ Get down! _ " He grabbed her and pushed her to the ground urgently as she screamed with shock and he shielded her with his body as a spear soared through the air where they had just been standing. The sharp point stuck into the earth and trembled slightly from the force of the impact.

Dorothea clung tightly to Sylvain, looking up at him fearfully when she realized what was happening.

The monastery was under attack. 

The Knights of Seiros had arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strap yourselves in: shit's about to get rough.
> 
> See you in the next one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knights of Seiros have come to reclaim Garreg Mach for their archbishop, and Edelgard's forces fight to defend it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest chapter I have written so far, and I'm very proud of it. Without further ado, here it is. Please do let me know what you think about this one.

Turmoil. That was the best word to describe the state of the imperial forces when the Knights of Seiros began their assault. They scrambled for their weapons, the highest-ranking officers barking commands at those in their charge.

Caspar ran for his axe in the armory and found that Felix was already there, strapping both of his swords to his back.

"How are they already here?" Caspar yelled angrily. 

"Who cares?" Felix snapped, pulling both of his swords from their sheaths and flourishing them skillfully as though they were extensions of his arms and not just weapons. "The point is  _ that _ they're here, and we have to drive them back. Let's go!"

Caspar couldn't agree more. He ran out into the courtyard, ducking when he heard a loud explosion from somewhere just outside the monastery walls.

_ Ballistas?! _

Rhea wasn't messing around, that much was clear.

He couldn't stop thinking about Petra. Where was she? Was she safe? She had been been outside the monastery grounds when the attack began, so had she already been apprehended, along with Shamir? His heart sank at the thought and he tried shaking it out of his head, replacing the worry for his lover with rage toward the enemy.

If they had laid so much as a finger on Petra, he would kill them all. That was the promise he made to himself as he ran through the courtyard, swinging his ax with a roar at the first enemy soldier he saw.

"Would  _ someone _ tell me what is going on?" Edelgard shouted, her own weapon in hand as one of her generals ran toward her.

"They're attacking from the north, Your Majesty," the large armored man said urgently when he was close enough.

"The north?" She looked at Hubert grimly when the realization hit her, and he remained silent; thoughtful. "Could they have cut through the Valley of Torment?"

"A bold move, if that is the case," Hubert stated. "But… it  _ is _ possible. It would also explain how quickly they were able to get here. Going through Ailell means they would be able to cut their travel time considerably and avoid the main roads between Garreg Mach and Alliance territory." He looked at Byleth when she ran up to him, already bearing the Sword of the Creator in her hands. He had hoped they would have more time to fortify the monastery, but it was too late now. They had to work with what they had, or die trying… and he had no intention of dying (or letting  _ her _ die) in a place like this.

"How many of them are there? Is Rhea among them?"

"No, Your Majesty, she isn't among them. The soldiers we are seeing are only a small portion of her army."

"Coward," Edelgard hissed, fingers clenching tighter around the hilt of her battle-ax. "Standing on the sidelines while her knights do her dirty work for her. The  _ daemon _ …" The hatred in the emperor's voice was nearly palpable, and it sent chills up Byleth's spine.

"Rally as many soldiers as you can," she ordered the general, "and guard Garreg Mach with your life. Let none of them through!"

"As you command." The general ran back outside, barking his orders at all he came across. Edelgard looked at Hubert and Byleth then, her lavender eyes cold.

"There is much about the monastery that we don't know," Hubert began. "There are surely hidden passages and entrances that we haven't discovered yet that they may try to make use of. The fact that we are seeing only a small percentage of Rhea's forces is a sure sign that they may attack from somewhere we're not expecting."

"We are at a disadvantage, but we  _ can _ win this," Edelgard stated. "We just have to hold them off long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

"Reinforcements?" Byleth asked.

"I sent word to Adrestia days ago to send more soldiers here in preparation for an assault," Edelgard explained, "but the assault came much sooner than I anticipated. They are likely still hours away from here, so we cannot rely on them. If we can keep the Knights of Seiros at bay long enough, we will stand a greater chance of victory."

"Then we have no time to waste." Hubert nodded at Byleth and drew his sword, and they ran across the bridge together from the cathedral, toward the familiar sounds of combat and death in the distance.

****************

Sylvain pulled the enemy's lance out of the ground where it had struck, brandishing it and standing protectively in front of Dorothea. The wyvern rider that had thrown the lance already had another in-hand, hovering at the edge of the cliff and glaring furiously at them. Now that they were closer, Dorothea could see him more clearly. Her eyes widened. That forest-green hair, that ornamental armor…

"Long time, no see, Seteth," Sylvain called to the archbishop's advisor, smirking. "You appear to have dropped this. Why don't you come down from there so I can return it to you?" The venom in his voice betrayed the innocence of the words. Magic crackled in Dorothea's hands as she stood behind Sylvain, ready to jump in if she needed to.

"It appears you did not outgrow that infamous arrogance of yours," Seteth said icily. "You're an embarrassment to House Gautier, fighting alongside the Empire like—  _ Argh! _ " Seteth was interrupted by a ball of fire striking his mount, the wyvern roaring with rage and thrashing, nearly knocking him off-balance. Dorothea had moved out from behind Sylvain as Seteth spoke and now she had both arms raised in front of her, her eyes sparkling with fury as she readied another spell.

"Such a waste," Seteth sighed, shaking his head. The wyvern lunged forward and Seteth lashed out with his elegant lance, his attack met with a loud  _ clang _ and a shower of sparks as Sylvain leapt into action and blocked it with the stolen lance.

"Run, Dorothea!" Sylvain yelled. He pushed back against Seteth's lance with all his might, jumping back with a spin-dodge as he narrowly avoided the wyvern's jaws. The two ran back toward the monastery, Dorothea firing spell after spell behind her to slow Seteth's advance. They skirted around corners and jumped over the bodies of friend and foe alike, trying to lure Seteth somewhere they would have a better chance against him.

Once they were in the company of more imperial soldiers, only then did Sylvain turn and fight. He slashed and parried, amazed by Seteth's skill at fighting. He had never seen him in action before, and he was certainly a worthy opponent. Dorothea occupied herself with other enemies, the air around her crackling with magic as she threw spell after spell to keep them at bay.

Sylvain's lance slashed upward, slicing Seteth's cheek open and missing his eye by barely an inch. Seteth cried out in pain, urging his wyvern out of Sylvain's reach long enough to regain his composure. Blood poured down his cheek and neck from the wound and Sylvain could tell that the man had had enough messing around. His wyvern flew at him, his lance raised to strike, and Sylvain moved to dodge.

He realized very quickly that Seteth had baited him. 

Seteth pulled back his attack at the last minute and his wyvern spun around suddenly, tail lashing out at Sylvain and hitting him hard in the stomach. He went flying, slamming hard into one of the monastery walls and dropping his weapon in the process. He hit the ground hard, stunned for a time as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees.

"Sylvain!" Dorothea screamed when she saw him fall. She saw Seteth's mount flying toward the disarmed redhead, the archbishop's advisor preparing another strike with his lance. She wanted to help Sylvain, but there were already too many soldiers between her and him. There was no way she would make it to him in time. " _ No! _ " She felt something rush past her then, seeing only a dark blur in her peripheral vision. She turned her head to follow its trajectory, and that was when she saw what — or rather, who — it was.

Felix vaulted off the back of an unsuspecting Knight of Seiros and used the extra height to leap toward Seteth on the back of the wyvern. He slammed into him, knocking him from the beast's back and effectively stopping the assault on his childhood friend. Seteth yelled out in shock as he fell, Felix flipping through the air and landing in front of Sylvain with his two swords at the ready. Sylvain located his lance and grabbed it before standing up, grinning at Felix.

"One of these days, Felix, I'll be the one saving  _ you _ . This relationship just feels so one-sided at this point," he joked. Felix scowled.

"If you would stop being stupid on the battlefield, I wouldn't  _ have _ to save you," he said harshly.

Seteth got to his feet, lance held by his side as he stared Felix down. His wyvern came to land beside him and he swung himself back into the saddle. The beast under him roared ferociously at Felix and Sylvain, spreading its wings wide to make itself seem more imposing.

Felix's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the hilts of both swords. 

"Shall we?" Sylvain asked next to him, smirking sidelong at his oldest friend. 

"Just try not to get yourself killed."

All over the monastery, the battle raged on. Hubert and Byleth fought side-by-side, guarding each other's backs and making quick work of any who engaged them. Hubert spun around and plunged his sword through an oncoming knight's chest, looking over his shoulder when Byleth tossed a fireball that struck another trying to catch him by surprise. Hubert smirked. When he saw a knight rushing at Byleth, he returned the favor, sending a torrent of black magic at the heavily armored man and making quick work of him while Byleth cleaved another in two with the Sword of the Creator.

"Professor!"

Byleth whipped around just in time to see Petra flipping over an enemy's back and plunging her sword through him from behind when she landed. Byleth smiled, relieved that she was safe. Petra hurried over to her, sunlight glinting off the blood on her blade.

"Have you seen Caspar?" she asked urgently.

"When I saw him last, he was fighting near the old classrooms," Byleth replied. "I'm glad you made it back, Petra. With you and Shamir out hunting, I wasn't sure if you were caught by the Knights as they approached."

"Shamir and I had seen them on our way back from the hunting. We stayed out of their sight and moved quickly to return here. I must find Caspar. We will have the catching up later, when we have survived this." With that, Petra ran off.

Byleth whipped around with alarm when she heard Hubert cry out, eyes wide with rage when she saw his shoulder torn open by an assassin's dagger. In seconds, blood had completely soaked through his sleeve and his other hand went up to hold the wound as he stumbled back, having no time to respond in kind as the assassin readied her dagger for another strike. Byleth screamed furiously and the Sword of the Creator glowed red in her hands, responding to its master's rage. She lashed the tip of the blade toward the assassin as it extended into its whip form, effectively impaling the woman where she stood. Byleth spun and whipped the assassin's body away from Hubert with her weapon, watching with a morbid satisfaction as she hit the ground with a sickening crunch.

Byleth hurried to Hubert's side, moving his hand away from his wound so she could have a better look. From a distance, it had looked much worse. She placed her hand against the wound and it glowed for a moment as she used her healing magic. Before she and Sothis had become one, she hadn't been able to use magic. Now, it required very little effort on her part, though she could still only heal minor injuries.

Hubert smiled slightly as the healing magic took effect, torn flesh knitting back together under Byleth's touch. The only evidence now that it had been there at all was the blood on his clothing and his torn sleeve.

"Thank you," he said, grateful.

Byleth opened her mouth to respond, but when she saw a familiar form approaching, her brow furrowed with sadness. She had hoped the war would never come to this. She swallowed heavily, gripping her sword tightly.

"Hello, Flayn."

The girl smiled sadly from atop her pegasus, lance in her hand. Byleth had always been very fond of Flayn. She was such a sweet young girl, and she always had a very calming, kind aura about her. 

"Hello, Professor. It has been a long time."

Halfway across the monastery, Seteth was locked in battle with Felix and Sylvain, and it seemed they were at an impasse. Alone, he could handle them just fine, but together, even Seteth found he was having difficulty. It became necessary for him to take a more defensive approach against the two of them, having to focus on blocking and parrying rather than attacking.

Then he'd seen Flayn fly overhead on her pegasus, and his heart sank. He had told her to stay out of the fighting for her own protection, but she hadn't listened. Seteth urged his wyvern after her, leaving Felix and Sylvain to defend against other attackers for the time being.

_ What is she thinking? _

Felix detached from battle with a lesser opponent and ran after him, refusing to let him get away, while Sylvain and Dorothea stayed behind to fight. He had finally found a worthy adversary, and he wasn't about to let him escape. 

"I wish it didn't have to come to this, Professor," Flayn said sadly. "You saved my life, and I am forever grateful to you. But… you leave me no choice."

"Flayn, wait!" Byleth cried as the girl flew toward her on her pegasus. She went on the defensive, blocking strike after strike from Flayn's lance. She glimpsed Hubert pulling his sword from the sheath at his waist and she hurriedly yelled at him.

"Don't, Hubert!" She spun out of the way of another attack, breathing heavily. "I've got this. Go find Edelgard!"

Hubert hesitated.

" _ Go! _ "

"Just… be careful!" A flash of light engulfed Hubert then and just like that, he vanished.

Seteth's wyvern cleared the dormitory building and it didn't take long for him to spot Flayn and Byleth. He had to hurry. He dove toward them, his lance held at the ready by his side. His eyes widened when he felt more weight leap onto the wyvern's back and he barely had time to react before Felix was slicing through one of the beast's wings, using his weight to slide the blades all the way through the membrane and ripping a sizable gash into it. The wyvern shrilled in agony as it fell, no longer able to fly without the use of both wings, and Felix did a somersault upon landing on the cobbles below, sweat matting his long, black hair to his forehead. A slow grin made its way across his face as he stayed crouched there.

The wyvern crashed into the ground heavily and Seteth had to jump off before it hit to avoid being crushed beneath the creature's weight. He tumbled across the ground with a pained cry, wincing and taking a moment to recover from the impact. He got to his feet, brandishing his lance angrily.

"You never give up, do you?" he yelled at Felix, eyes uncharacteristically wild with rage.

"No, I don't. Giving up was never one of my strong suits." Felix stood up, holding his swords at the ready. "Now shut up and face me without that  _ thing _ getting in the way."

"Such insolence. What must Lord Rodrigue think of his only remaining son acting in this manner?"

"I am not my father." Felix ran forward with a yell and the two men clashed, each strike and each parry echoing loudly around them.

Byleth backflipped with a nervous yelp when Flayn's lance nearly gutted her and she stumbled backward, her back hitting a wall. Her eyes widened with panic. There was nowhere left for her to go.

"I don't want to hurt you, Flayn!"

"I'm sorry, Professor," Flayn cried, distraught. "But while you live, Rhea and my brother will never find peace in this world." She raised her lance, preparing another strike… then stopped mid-swing when a long dagger planted itself firmly in her heart.

Flayn uttered a choked scream, eyes wide with shock.

Byleth looked up and standing at the top of the wall was Shamir, another dagger already poised to be thrown just in case the first had missed its mark. It hadn't. She lowered the second dagger slowly, her expression grim.

Flayn looked down at the dagger in her chest and the blood quickly staining the front of her white vestments with the deepest claret red, tears streaming down her cheeks. She gazed sadly up at the sky, her expression somehow serene as she weakened. Her lance fell to the ground with a clatter.

"I'm sorry, Father… I'm… I'm returning to Mother now… before you do…"

She fell sideways off her mount, unable to keep herself upright any longer, and that was the moment Byleth realized Seteth was nearby, hearing his anguished cry at the sight of his beloved Flayn lying lifeless on the ground.

" _ Flayn! _ " he screamed. His green eyes welled up with tears, an overwhelming sense of loss creeping through his very soul and leaving him cold. "Please, no!  _ No! _ "

Seteth's grief was all the distraction Felix needed. He dodged around behind him and plunged both of his swords through him, one through his side and one through his back. Seteth choked out a pained cry, rigid with agony. He coughed, blood spilling from his lips as Felix tore the blades out of him. He felt a different kind of icy cold setting in as he fell to his hands and knees, tears of pain and anguish spilling down as cheeks as he crawled his way over to where Flayn lay. He had to hold on just a little longer…

Byleth watched as Seteth crawled over to his daughter, tears welling up in her own eyes at the sight. Instinctively, her free hand rested upon her stomach, thinking of her own unborn child.

_ This _ was the reality of war. Not glory, not celebrations of valor and courage; just families being torn asunder. 

Seteth made it to Flayn's side, his breathing ragged as he fell on his stomach beside her. He didn't have any strength left. He lightly grabbed hold of one of her delicate hands, lacing their fingers together as the coldness of death seeped into his bones and his blood likewise seeped into the cracks between the cobblestones. 

"Forgive me, Flayn," he whispered, eyes slowly closing. "I couldn't… protect you…"

He fell silent and still.

Byleth looked away, tears trickling silently down her cheeks. She knew they had been on opposite sides of a war, but… her heart ached so much at seeing them both dead.

She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her head to see Shamir standing beside her. Her expression was stoic as ever, but her voice was soft.

"It is alright to grieve for them," the Dagdan mercenary said, frowning. "They weren't inherently bad people. They just… put their faith in the wrong person, and it cost them in the end."

"I know…" Byleth's voice trembled slightly, and she cleared her throat to steady it. "I know."

Felix just stayed where he was, utterly silent with his twin swords at his sides. Seteth's blood dripped from the blades, forming little puddles where they fell.

He felt nothing.

***************

"Come on, is that all you've got?!"

Caspar was fighting alongside Edelgard and Hubert near the old classrooms, dispatching enemies with reckless abandon. Caspar swung his ax at an oncoming attacker, cleanly decapitating the man before he even knew what was happening. Caspar breathed heavily, covered in sweat and blood. He and Edelgard stood back-to-back, and he groaned when another small wave of knights came into view.

"Their numbers are dwindling," Hubert observed, throwing a blast of dark magic into the chest of an enemy archer and watching them crumple to the ground. Hubert had suffered only minor injuries after leaving Byleth behind with Flayn, and he silently hoped she had taken his earlier request to heart and not taken any unnecessary risks.

"Our reinforcements should be here soon," Edelgard said, blood dripping down the blade of her Relic. "Hold your ground just a while longer. Victory is in our grasp!"

Caspar readied himself to launch into yet another conflict, but stopped when he saw something from the corner of his eye, in the darkness of what used to be the Blue Lions classroom: a reddish glow he recognized as belonging to only one thing. He turned his head to look, and that was when he saw it.

_ Thunderbrand. _

Somehow, Catherine had snuck past their defenses. 

"Edelgard!" Caspar shoved Edelgard aside and barely leapt out of the way himself as Thunderbrand came down where they had just been standing. Catherine smirked and shouldered the heavy blade, staring Edelgard down.

Hubert watched, shocked, as more Knights of Seiros came out of the Blue Lions classroom. Alois was among them as well. It didn't take him long to realize what was happening. There was a secret entrance of some kind concealed in the classroom, and they were using it to sneak in.

Caspar got to his feet, unable to help but feel slightly nervous now that Catherine had revealed herself. Not once had Caspar ever been able to beat her, not even in training bouts and sparring matches in his Academy days where she was supposedly going easy on him. Now, it was the real deal… but she seemed to have eyes only for the young Emperor.

"I was wondering if you were going to make an appearance, Catherine," Edelgard stated, her gaze moving from one Knight of Seiros to the next. She took a step back, grip tightening on her weapon.

_ This is bad… _

"You have long overstayed your welcome,  _ Your Majesty, _ " Catherine said in a mocking tone, effortlessly twirling Thunderbrand at her side. "We'll be taking Garreg Mach back now."

"Over my dead body, you will."

"Well… that can be arranged." Catherine shrugged and stood at the ready, sizing Edelgard up.

Then, the fight was on.

Catherine's ferocity was unmatched, her skillful blows forcing Edelgard to defend more than she was able to strike back. The others in her charge — largely Bishop-class mages and Holy Knights — focused their collective efforts on keeping Hubert's attention on them and off of Catherine, as his skills with dark magic and a sword were a much bigger threat than Caspar's ax. They matched him spell for spell and sword for sword, his dark magic fizzling out any time it met their holy magic. He growled, frustrated.

Even he knew, they were in trouble. He felt like a wild animal being backed into a corner, and it made him very uneasy. If he could just get close enough to Edelgard… 

Caspar was focused primarily on Alois, and the man was proving to be a much bigger problem than he anticipated. He was deceptively fast in spite of his heavy armor and large battle-ax, and it was all Caspar could do to dodge and parry. An hour prior, Caspar would have had a much easier time of it. Now, his strength was starting to wane as the exhaustion of combat began to set in. Every muscle in his body was screaming.

Alois ducked under a brutal swing from Caspar's ax and rammed his shoulder into his chest, knocking the exhausted young warrior off-balance and causing him to fall backward clumsily. He laughed and pressed the blade of his ax under Caspar's chin, but the young Bergliez held his head high and glared defiantly at the older man, teeth clenched together in anger.

"Such a pity," Alois said, clicking his tongue with distaste. "You might have made an excellent knight someday."

Caspar clenched his hands into fists at his sides and shut his eyes tightly, preparing for the final blow. He heard a woman's furious scream, followed soon after by an exclamation of shock from Alois, and when he opened his eyes to see what had happened, his eyes lit up and he couldn't help but grin.

Petra was on Alois's back, the grip of her bow pressed firmly against the knight's windpipe as she held either end of the slender weapon with both hands. She threw all her weight backward, pulling the bow even more tightly against his throat and causing him to stumble back and away from Caspar.

"You will leave Caspar alone!" Petra yelled, hanging on for dear life as Alois struggled to dislodge her from his back. He slammed her back against the wall, his heavy armor and the stone wall causing her to be winded and loosen her grip on the bow just long enough for him to get out of it. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as she desperately tried getting her diaphragm to function properly again. Alois grabbed Petra by the throat, lifting her up easily and squeezing. Petra struggled desperately, kicking at him and trying over and over to draw breath.

Caspar launched himself at Alois with an angry roar, slamming into the knight captain's side and forcing him to let go of Petra. The princess of Brigid held her throat, coughing as she finally managed to draw oxygen into her lungs. 

Edelgard was holding her own against Catherine, but Hubert could clearly see it was becoming harder and harder for her to keep up. Catherine was as fast as they came, and Edelgard could only hold out for so long. His own energy was declining fast, but he had to take a risk; there was no other way. He needed to get Edelgard out of the battle, before it got any more dangerous than it already was. 

Hubert focused on the ground below his feet, a pool of shadow beginning to spread outward from him. It writhed and frothed, almost as though it had a life of its own. He sank into the pool and was gone, confusing and surprising those who had just been fighting him.

A similar pool of blackness began forming under Edelgard, spreading outward in a large, writhing circle. Catherine stopped mid-strike and watched with wide eyes, taking a few steps back when the edge of the puddle got too close. She didn't know what it was, but she felt like stepping in it would be a very big mistake. It looked… evil. She glared at Edelgard from where she stood, pure hatred in her eyes.

Edelgard watched the substance curiously, and when she felt arms wrap around her from behind, she gasped sharply with shock. She started to look over her shoulder, and when she saw a familiar fringe of black hair, she relaxed slightly. 

Hubert and Edelgard sank into the pool of shadow at their feet, and then they were gone along with it. 

"Damn it," Catherine cursed, brow furrowed with rage. "Find her! We cannot let her get away!"

A few yards away, Caspar had tackled Alois to the ground again from behind, and this time, he wasn't going to let him escape. He wrapped his right arm tightly around Alois's throat, his other hand on top of his head to keep him steady while he squeezed as hard as he could. Alois struggled, gasping for air. Caspar violently twisted the man's head to the side with a sickening crack, breaking his neck. Alois stilled.

"No!" Catherine screamed when she turned to look just in time to see Caspar break Alois's neck. She ran at him with white-hot rage in her eyes, Thunderbrand's bloody red glow becoming more intense in response.

Caspar dove for his ax, but Catherine was faster. Thunderbrand drove itself into his stomach, pinning him to the ground, and Petra screamed at the sight.

Caspar was overcome with agony, but still he didn't want to give up. He grabbed the Relic by the blade with both hands, trying to remove it from his body, but to no avail. Catherine twisted the blade inside him; he screamed.

*********************

Hubert and Edelgard reappeared near the marketplace, out of immediate danger for the time being. If Hubert had been exhausted before, he was doubly so after using so much energy to shadowstep not once, but twice in such a short span of time. He fell to one knee by Edelgard’s side, breathing fast. Edelgard knelt beside her oldest friend and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him.

“That was very risky,” she murmured, her eyes glistening with gratitude despite her gentle chastising.

“It was necessary,” Hubert said breathlessly, forcing a small smile.

“Are you going to be alright? We can’t just stay here out in the open like this…”

“I just need a few minutes…”

“There they are!”

Edelgard and Hubert looked up simultaneously when they heard Byleth’s voice, seeing that she was accompanied by Shamir. She ran over to them and fell to her knees beside them, immediately realizing something was wrong. She placed a hand on Hubert’s cheek, frowning. Hubert turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her palm to reassure her.

“What happened?” she asked, looking at Edelgard expectantly.

“Catherine and Alois showed up with more knights,” the emperor replied, getting to her feet. “Hubert used a great deal of energy to get us both out of there. Had he not, I may not be standing here now.”

“I see…” Byleth smiled slightly at her lover. “Can you stand?”

“In a moment.”

“Emperor Edelgard!” An imperial soldier approached them, bowing respectfully. “I came to inform you that reinforcements from Adrestia have arrived.”

“Is the Death Knight among them?” she asked.

“Yes… He appears to be leading them.”

“Excellent. Let’s wrap this up then, shall we?”

*********************

Petra grabbed her bow off the ground and quickly nocked an arrow, panic coursing through her. She heard hoofbeats approaching and before she could react, a large black horse covered in armor bolted past. She glimpsed the rider’s long, red hair.

Seeing that the horse wasn’t slowing down, Catherine pulled Thunderbrand from Caspar’s abdomen and leaped aside to narrowly avoid being trampled, tumbling across the ground and quickly getting to her feet. Ferdinand brought his horse around to stand between her and Caspar, reins in one hand and lance in the other. Caspar held his stomach and fell onto his back, a sizable amount of blood already soaking the grass under him. Petra hurried to his side. A terrifying roar echoed from somewhere nearby; Catherine grit her teeth angrily, hesitating.

“Catherine!” A fellow knight ran up to her, panicked and covered in blood. “More imperial troops have just arrived from the south! Thousands of them! They have demonic beasts with them!”

Catherine paled. They had already lost so many from their ranks, more than she had anticipated, and she hadn’t counted on having to fight daemons. They simply didn’t have the numbers for that, not while the majority of their army was still with Rhea in Fhirdiad. She had to make a decision, and she had to know it was the right one. She cursed under her breath.

“Tell the others to retreat. We’re finished here.” She glared venomously at Ferdinand before turning and walking back into the Blue Lion classroom, holding Thunderbrand over her shoulder and speaking to Ferdinand with her back turned.

“This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

“We’re counting on it,” Ferdinand called back to her, smirking. Catherine disappeared from sight, and Ferdinand relaxed slightly.

“Caspar, please hold on.” The distress in Petra’s voice caused Ferdinand to turn, and when he saw just how bad Caspar’s wound was, he jumped down off his horse and pressed his hands onto the wound. The presence of an exit wound made it a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.

Caspar was miraculously still conscious, though he was fading fast. He grinned faintly up at Ferdinand, shaking his head. “It’s no use, Ferdinand. I… I think this is probably it for me…”

“Don’t say that,” Ferdinand scolded firmly. “We’ll bring you to Manuela, and she’ll fix you up. Everything is gonna be fine.” Deep down, though, he knew it was hopeless. If he moved Caspar, he risked doing even more damage.

Byleth and Edelgard found their way back to their classrooms, an exhausted Hubert supported between them. When Edelgard saw who Ferdinand and Petra were kneeling over, her eyes widened and shimmered with grief.

“No,” she breathed.

Leaving Edelgard to keep Hubert on his feet, Byleth ran as fast as her legs could carry her toward where Caspar lay bleeding, falling to her knees beside him. She nudged Ferdinand out of the way, placing her hands on Caspar’s wound. Her hands glowed as she put everything she could into healing him, but his injuries were too great.

Tears fell down Petra’s cheeks as she moved to kneel behind Caspar’s head, his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. She sniffled, lip quivering.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to him, distraught.

“Hey… none of that…” Caspar smiled weakly at her. “Please, don’t… don’t blame yourself… I’m the one who should be apologizing to you…”

“W-why?”

“Last night, we… we argued… I said some stupid things, and…”

“None of that has any meaning to me,” Petra protested, uttering a quiet sob. “ _ You _ have meaning to me. I love you…”

“I love you, too… and, if I can be perfectly honest… I can think of loads of worse places to die… than in your arms…”

Petra choked out another sob and leaned down to kiss him, tears dripping from her eyelashes and falling onto his cheeks. Caspar returned the kiss weakly, relishing the warmth of Petra’s lips as he felt an unmistakable coldness closing in.

“Goodbye… my love…” Caspar’s eyes closed and one final breath rattled out of him, lost on Petra’s lips. He was gone.

Petra was inconsolable, shaking as she draped herself across Caspar’s body and sobbed heavily into his chest. Byleth inhaled shakily and moved closer to Petra, leaning over her and rubbing her back softly. Her heart ached for the young princess, silent tears falling down her cheeks.

_ This _ was the reality of war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried writing this. I'm sure you all aren't any better off, so... please accept all of my hugs.
> 
> See you in the next one.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of the battle for Garreg Mach, Byleth grieves for the fallen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little bit shorter cuz it's kind of a transitional chapter. Enjoy!

Byleth had grown quite fond of the Rhodos Coast, even though she had only been there a handful of times. The sky was clear and blue, the soothing sound of waves crashing against the rocks and the cries of gulls only adding to the beauty of the scenery.

She was not there for sightseeing, however… but for a burial.

She looked down at the freshly dug graves at her feet, eyes shimmering as she recalled her first time ever coming to this beautiful place.

Seteth and Flayn had divulged a very important secret to her in confidence — that they were not brother and sister, but father and daughter — after she had assisted them in dispatching pirates that threatened the sacred relics hidden there. Flayn's mother, Seteth's late wife, was buried there. They had shown her the grave, where she had paid her respects and laid flowers.

Now, the three of them were together once more, buried together under the blue sky with the sound of waves to keep them company. She lay flowers on each of the three graves, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"Please forgive me," she whispered, a part of her hoping that Seteth and Flayn could somehow hear her voice beyond the veil. "I wish there had been another way. I wish neither of you had to die. You were both always so very kind to me…"

She clenched her hands into fists at her sides, inhaling shakily. "I hope that wherever you are, you are finally at peace."

Hubert walked up beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder, looking down at the three graves with a small frown.

"Are you going to tell me why you felt the need to bury them here, of all places?" he asked, genuinely curious. When Byleth had come to him asking for help getting their bodies to the Rhodos Coast, she had offered him no explanation. She had been so insistent, though, that he hadn't been able to decline her request. Shadowstepping to the coast with her and two corpses in tow hadn't been easy, but he had managed it. They would just need to rest for a while before he could bring Byleth back to the monastery in the same manner. It would likely be much easier with just the two of them.

Byleth shook her head in response to his question. "I can't say anything except that this place was important to them."

"Very well. Then I will inquire no further."

Byleth leaned against Hubert's side with her arms wrapped around him, and he could tell from how her shoulders were trembling that she was crying. He just held her, not knowing what he could possibly say that would make her feel better.

Hubert had never been one to grieve, but it wasn't as though he couldn't understand it. He knew how much Byleth had cared for Flayn and Seteth, and she had to watch them die in front of her. Then, there was Caspar… 

Caspar's loss had devastated all of the Black Eagle Strike Force, but none felt as much sadness in the wake of his death as Petra. That day, she didn't leave his side until Hubert had gone himself over an hour later to fetch her. He had grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to her feet, and her response was to whip around to hit him, eyes red and puffy from crying. He had caught her wrist before the smack connected, frowning down at her.

"Let me go!" Petra yelled, struggling to get her wrist out of his grasp. "Just… leave us…"

"We have to bury him, Petra. You want to lay him to rest, don't you?" he asked.

"I want him to be here with me," Petra answered, voice thick with tears. "I want to rip out the heart of the miserable beast who took him. Because of her, I will never again have his closeness."

"We will likely cross paths with Catherine again, and when we do, she is yours. It won't bring him back, but if it will give you closure…"

"You have my thanks, Hubert…" Petra wiped at her eyes and Hubert let go of her other wrist, watching her closely. Finally, she agreed to let Hubert and the others take Caspar. By the time they were finished burying him in a spot of her choosing, the moon had risen. The Black Eagles, even with how exhausted they were, made sure to pay their respects. The women cried; the men stood in solemn silence, vowing to get revenge for their fallen comrade. 

Ferdinand was the only man who shed tears at the grave that night, and only when he thought no one was looking at him. Hubert had seen it, but he said nothing, simply letting Ferdinand grieve in his own way. He had been right there when Caspar took his last breath, so it made sense that he would be more affected than the others.

Shortly after Caspar's burial, Byleth requested he have Seteth and Flayn brought down to the Holy Tomb where it was nice and cool, so they could be buried as well at a later time. He didn't question her, mostly because she had hurried away from him before he could protest or request an explanation.

Later that night, when Hubert went to find Byleth in her quarters (he let himself in, which was unusual for him), she was crying rather heavily in her bed with the covers pulled up over her head. Hubert approached with uncertainty and slowly sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand where he guessed her head was.

"Don't," Byleth said sharply; tearfully. Hubert's eyes widened with shock at her tone. She had never spoken to him like that before. 

"Byleth—"

"Just  _ don't _ . I… I want to be alone. Please, just… leave."

Hubert's brow furrowed then and he threw the blanket off of her, catching her by surprise.

"I will do no such thing."

She barely had time to react before he took her into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest with one hand cradling the back of her head. He stroked her hair; she half-heartedly slammed her fists against his chest to make him release her, choking out a frustrated sob when the attempt failed. She gave in after a minute, clinging tightly to him and shaking like a leaf.

"Hush now," he whispered, closing his eyes and leaning back against the pillows so she could lay against his chest. "All of these tears don't suit you."

"It's my fault," Byleth cried, hiding her face in the spot between Hubert's neck and shoulder. "If I were better at healing, or if I'd gotten to him sooner, Caspar would still—"

" _ No _ ," Hubert said firmly, a hint of anger in his voice. "Don't do that to yourself. What happened was regrettable, but it was in no way your fault. The only one at fault is the one who killed him."

When Byleth said nothing in reply, he sighed and continued.

"We are at war, Byleth. People will die; it is inevitable. All we can do is keep fighting in his stead and ensure that his death wasn't in vain. We cannot change the past… but we can fight for a better future, for everyone Caspar left behind."

Byleth remained silent, and Hubert did his part by simply being there for her. He held her close until she stopped crying and her breathing evened out, signaling that she had fallen asleep. He remained with her the whole night, not wanting to leave her alone for even a moment.

Now here they were just one day later on the Rhodos Coast, gazing solemnly at the graves of two enemies of the Empire that Byleth still cared very much about. When he asked her why she wanted to personally bury Seteth and Flayn, her only response to him had been, "They weren't bad people; they just put their faith in the wrong person." In a sense, he supposed that was true.

He kissed Byleth softly on the top of the head, arm tightening ever so slightly around her shoulders.

"We should head back," he said. "There is much that needs to be taken care of."

Byleth knew immediately what Hubert was referring to, and she felt a hint of dread roiling in the pit of her stomach. They needed to tell Edelgard about her pregnancy, now that Garreg Mach was safe for the time being. The sooner they told her, the better… but she was worried about how the emperor might react to the news. Would she be overjoyed, or would she be furious about yet another complication cropping up that could affect her cause? She sincerely hoped it was the former.

Hubert saw the concern in Byleth's eyes and placed a hand gently on her stomach, an uncharacteristically sweet gesture that made her blush. He smiled at her.

"Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

She smiled back at him. There was no way she couldn't trust his judgment in this. He knew Edelgard far better than she could ever hope to, and she could only hope that would be enough.

*************

Almost immediately upon their return to Garreg Mach, a wave of intense nausea struck Byleth and she hurried over to the edge of the courtyard they appeared in, retching. Hubert followed her and knelt beside her as she fell to her knees and expelled the contents of her stomach, gently holding her hair back from her face for her. He was used to shadowstepping by now, but Byleth was not, and he could only imagine that the bizarre sensation coupled with the nausea that came with her pregnancy was not a good mix.

Byleth breathed heavily, her diaphragm hurting from the dry heaves that came after there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, her breathing slowly returning to a normal pace.

"Is everything alright?" Byleth turned her head toward the voice, forcing herself to smile when she saw Ferdinand walking toward them. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink, and Byleth knew that was a distinct possibility.

"I'm fine," she answered, getting to her feet with Hubert's help. "Just… not used to traveling by magic. Have you seen Edelgard? Hubert and I need to speak with her about something."

"She's… not here."

Hubert's eyes widened slightly in disbelief, demanding answers.

"What do you mean, she's not here?" he asked.

"Shortly after you and the professor left this morning, she got on a horse and rode south with the Death Knight. I offered to accompany her, but she ordered me to remain."

"Did she say where she was going?" Hubert asked impatiently. "Or when she would return?"

"No, she didn't. All she said was, there was someone she needed to see and that it was imperative she speak with them as soon as possible. She said she didn't have time to wait for you to come back."

Hubert cursed under his breath, and Byleth looked at him anxiously. She could feel the tension in his body, and it puzzled her. What did he know that she did not? She had a bad feeling.

"I know where she's going," Hubert said finally, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He turned to look at Byleth then and held her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes. There was something in his that frightened her.

"I must go after her," he explained.

"Of course," Byleth responded with a nod, a puzzled frown on her face. "I'll come with you."

Hubert shook his head and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Not this time. Don't worry… I will be back soon." He let go of her, and before Byleth could say anything at all in protest, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next one!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert finds Edelgard, and he has some news for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short but sweet chapter. Please enjoy!

Hubert's assumption about where Edelgard had gone with the Death Knight had been correct, though he was challenged to consider that a good thing. 

The Sealed Forest was a forboding place, the trees so tightly packed together that it would be exceedingly easy to lose one's way if they didn't know where they were going. Hubert made his way deeper into the forest, following the faint sound of voices in the distance.

The trees began thinning out as he arrived at a small clearing, a stone ruin from a time long past sitting in disrepair at the far side. The Death Knight stood nearby, menacing as always. Upon seeing Hubert, he merely stood there and watched him, doing nothing to keep him from moving forward. Hubert breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he saw the familiar crimson of Edelgard's dress, but his eyes narrowed when he saw who she was with.

"The time to act is now, Lord Arundel," Edelgard said firmly to the tall, dark-haired man before her. "We know where Rhea is. We know she is well-defended, but Caspar is  _ dead _ because her forces got the jump on us. I refuse to allow such a thing to stand. If we march north now and take Fhirdiad—"

"I am afraid I must stop you there, Your Majesty," Hubert interjected when he got close enough to do so. Arundel smirked but said nothing. Edelgard's eyes widened at the sound of Hubert's voice and she turned to face him, surprised by his presence. 

"Hubert, how—"

" — did I find you?" he finished for her, crossing his arms. "Call it an educated guess. More importantly…" He narrowed his eyes at Arundel. "…I feel as though this is a conversation I would have liked to be a part of."

"It couldn't wait," Edelgard stated simply.

"With all due respect, it is too soon for us to march on Fhirdiad. While we did emerge victorious yesterday, we still suffered heavy losses. Rhea would be expecting us."

Lord Arundel chuckled, thoughtfully stroking his beard. "Hubert has an excellent point, dear niece. My army is at your disposal, as we agreed. Whenever you care to march on Fhirdiad, we will be ready to join you. You need only say the word."

Edelgard sighed and pinched between her eyes, brow furrowed with frustration. "Very well, Hubert. I will take your opinion into account. Perhaps you are right… Perhaps our troops do need more time."

"You know where to find me, Edelgard," Lord Arundel stated. He nodded over at the Death Knight, who approached when the sign was given. "Have a pleasant evening." Then, before Edelgard and Hubert could even blink, the two were gone.

Edelgard crossed her arms, glaring at Hubert with obvious displeasure.

"It isn't like you to go against me, Hubert," she said. "I don't much care for it."

Hubert bowed respectfully to the young woman, hand over his chest in reverence. 

"My apologies. You appointed me as your advisor, Lady Edelgard. As such, it is my duty to guide you along the  _ right _ path. Marching on the capital so soon after Caspar's loss… would not be wise. The wound is too fresh. We must act rationally,  _ not _ out of anger or a need for vengeance."

As much as she wanted to make Rhea pay for Caspar's death, deep down, Edelgard knew he was right. He could see it in her eyes. She sighed and shook her head, looking away as though ashamed.

"I also do not think it wise for you to speak with that man without me present," Hubert added. "The ones who slither in the dark… They cannot be trusted. Had he turned on you—"

"You're right," Edelgard interjected. "It was foolish. I let my grief cloud my judgment as Emperor, and that is unacceptable."

Hubert smiled faintly at Edelgard. "You are allowed to grieve just like the rest of them, Lady Edelgard. I was never one for grief, myself… but I understand it is important."

Edelgard nodded and fell silent. She was keeping her composure, but Hubert could tell she wasn't as fine as she would like him to believe. Still, he knew it wouldn't be wise to push her on the matter.

"We should go," he said finally. "I do not care to linger here longer than necessary while Those Who Slither In the Dark are lurking about."

"Alright… Let's go."

***************

Upon returning to the monastery with Edelgard, Hubert couldn't help but feel somewhat anxious. The time for delay had passed; he needed to tell her about Byleth's pregnancy. He was certain she would be happy for them, but could he really be so sure? She had, after all, surprised him by going to meet with Lord Arundel alone. 

He walked with her to the audience chamber, every step only bringing more doubt into his mind. Edelgard was already in a bad mood. Did he really want to risk making it worse, if she took the news poorly?

_ She must know, _ Hubert thought decisively.  _ Keeping it hidden would make things worse. _

"What is on your mind, Hubert?"

Hubert was startled only a moment when Edelgard addressed him, having been so lost in thought that he had only been vaguely aware of his surroundings. She chuckled lightly at the surprise on his face.

"Sometimes you are a mystery even to me, and other times, like now, you are like an open book," Edelgard stated. "Something is troubling you."

Hubert sighed softly and stopped at the top of the stairs, crossing his arms. He steeled himself as best he could, took a slow and deep breath, and spoke.

"Truth be told, Your Majesty… there is something I must tell you. Had the Knights of Seiros not attacked yesterday, I would have told you sooner… but now is as good a time as any."

Edelgard's smile fell slightly and her pale eyes filled with concern. Upon seeing that look on her face, Hubert smirked.

"You can relax," he teased calmly. "It isn't some sort of horrible revelation. Rather… it is quite the opposite."

Edelgard visibly relaxed at the reassurance, though an almost innocent curiosity took the place of her concern. 

Hubert struggled for a moment to find the right way to approach the topic at hand before continuing. "Do you remember much about my father, Lady Edelgard? From when you and I were children."

"I remember the role he played in my exile, more than anything, and how much you came to hate him after that."

"Yes… though I hated him long before that day. He was a cruel man, not particularly kind to my mother or myself. Some days, it was almost as though I didn't exist… or that he would have rathered I didn't. I always aspired to be a better man than he was when I got older, to be loyal and steadfast to those who are important to me."

Edelgard's expression softened. "What is this about?"

"After you were spirited away to Faerghus, I vowed to never become like him. To never betray those I swore to protect… and, someday, to be a better father than he ever was for me. To not make his mistakes my own."

Hubert smiled and lowered his gaze, his mind wandering to Byleth. When he had learned she was with child, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions had whipped around inside him: excitement, bewilderment, love, joy… and fear. Fear of becoming like Marquis Vestra had been stuck at the back of his mind, but it only made him more determined to be better.

"What I am trying to say, Lady Edelgard… is that very soon, that aspiration of mine is going to become a reality."

At first, Edelgard's expression was pure confusion. Moments later, it became thoughtful. Then, her eyes widened with realization and she gasped, a hand moving to cover her mouth.

"Hubert, are… are you telling me what I think you're telling me?"

Hubert blushed in spite of himself and gave a slight nod in reply, smiling.

"This comes as quite a shock," Edelgard admitted. "Even so, I'm… I'm very happy for you both. Truly. Do you know how far along she is?"

"She believes it happened shortly after the battle at Derdriu."

"I see."

"Byleth assured me that until Manuela tells her it is no longer safe for her to do so, she will continue to fight alongside us. She doesn't want her condition to slow us down until she truly has no choice."

"Very admirable of her. Even so, she must be more careful from now on. I trust you will see to it that she doesn't push herself too hard?"

"Naturally."

Edelgard smiled and placed a hand gently on Hubert's shoulder, gazing up at him with joy sparkling in her pale eyes.

"Good. Byleth is very lucky to have you. Would you like me to tell the others the news, or would you rather do that yourselves?"

"I believe Byleth would want to tell them herself," Hubert answered. "In truth, you were the one she was most worried about telling."

"Why is that?"

"She thought you would respond very differently. I did too, if I'm being honest. But… I am relieved you are pleased by it and not angered."

"It is going to be more difficult for you to think objectively from now on. I fully expect that if it came down to it, her and the baby would be who you would choose to save," Edelgard stated, though the smile remained in spite of the serious tone. "Before, that may have bothered me… but even I can see the sanctity of new life. Keep Byleth and your child safe, Hubert."

Hubert frowned slightly. "I intend to, but… I still have a duty to you as well."

"You do. However, so does Ferdinand… and he saved my life countless times yesterday during the battle before you came to my aid. If you are not around, I know I can trust him to protect me. Let that put your mind at ease for the time being."

"I… Thank you, Lady Edelgard."

"Think nothing of it. You're going to be a great father, Hubert. Now go. I will summon you if I require an audience with you, but for now… go be with the mother of your child."

As Hubert turned on his heel to go back down the stairs, a man in black armor was taking his leave, just out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. We all know who that is.
> 
> See you in the next one!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Eagle Strike Force plans its next move, and Byleth and Hubert share a tender moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in this update, everyone. A lot of things have been going on in my personal life over the past couple of weeks that I would rather not discuss in the open, so I haven't really felt up to writing more of this until a couple days ago.
> 
> Without any further ado, enjoy chapter 12.

Two months passed without incident. Ordinarily, that would be considered a good thing. No complications meant more time to bolster the Empire's forces, which Edelgard and Hubert had absolutely succeeded in doing. At the same time, Edelgard was growing restless and impatient, and it was becoming increasingly more obvious to those close to her. One day, she summoned the entire Strike Force to the war table and almost immediately leaned forward with her hands on the table, looking down at the map of Fódlan laid out across its surface.

"We cannot wait any longer," she said, eyes narrowed as she glared at the map. "We have had two months to prepare. Now, it is time to march on Fhirdiad before Rhea goes elsewhere."

"Is it really such a good idea to go to Fhirdiad?" Bernadetta squeaked, wringing her hands nervously in front of her. "I-I mean, I've heard a lot of stories about Dimitri on the battlefield, a-and he's…"

"Terrifying?" Linhardt proffered, blinking sleepily at her and letting out a quiet yawn.

" _ Beastly _ is the word I would use," Felix added, crossing his arms with a scowl at the thought of the one he often referred to only as The Boar. "I've seen firsthand how he can get. He loses control, like a wild animal."

"Might I make a suggestion, Your Majesty?" Hubert asked, looking at the map thoughtfully. When Edelgard nodded to give him permission to continue, he pressed his finger over a place on the map that was distinctly not Fhirdiad and he smirked.

"Arianrhod," Edelgard murmured, thoughtful as she weighed the pros against the cons. 

"Rhea and Dimitri are expecting us to attack Fhirdiad in response to their assault on the monastery," Hubert began. "However, if we were to take and hold Arianrhod, we would gain the upper hand. It lies directly on the border between the Kingdom and the Empire, and it is called the Fortress City for a good reason."

"Taking Arianrhod would be a boon for the war effort," Ferdinand agreed, tossing his ginger hair back over his shoulder as he leaned forward to more closely observe the map.

"Precisely. There have also been rumors circulating recently that Cornelia has some sort of special weapon hidden there. If we can take that weapon for ourselves, it could drastically push the war in our favor."

"Cornelia?" It was a name Byleth didn't recognize.

"The mage in the service of Faerghus's royal family," Sylvain explained from across the war table. "She didn't get to such a high status with her looks alone, though I hear she  _ is _ quite a catch." He grunted softly when Dorothea elbowed him in the stomach and he smiled sheepishly, apologizing. Felix rolled his eyes and looked away from the two, shaking his head with disgust.

"Then Arianrhod will be our next objective," Edelgard decided, convinced by Hubert's argument. "However… that information stays between everyone here in this room. The main army must continue to believe Fhirdiad is our next target. We alone shall take Arianrhod for the Empire. Understood?"

"Why can't the rest of the army know?" Bernadetta asked, seeming less than thrilled by the idea of having to take Arianrhod without the bulk of the imperial army to support their efforts.

"There could be a rat among them," Hubert explained, eyes narrowed. "We cannot be certain, but… it is a risk we cannot afford. They, as well as Rhea's and Dimitri's combined forces, must continue to believe Fhirdiad will be our next move. It is of the utmost importance."

"It won't be easy," Sylvain stated, frowning. "Like Hubert said before, it's called the Fortress City for a good reason. With our small numbers, we could have quite a bit of trouble even trying to get past the gates."

"Then we won't use the gates," Byleth said thoughtfully. "We will go over the walls and catch them by surprise."

"Interesting," Felix said, intrigued by the plan. "But those walls are hundreds of feet high. There is no way."

"There is  _ one _ way," Byleth stated, looking at Hubert pointedly. He quirked a brow at her, trying to ascertain what she meant by that. When Byleth maintained eye contact, that was when he understood.

"Yes… Theoretically, I could take us all through the shadows to get into the city. However, it takes a lot of magical energy to accomplish, and I am not accustomed to transporting more than myself and one other person at a time."

"I can help."

Everyone around the war table turned to look when Lysithea spoke up. The determined look in her eyes and the way she held herself made her seem much older than she looked. 

"I have been learning to travel through shadows, myself," she continued. "I've gotten quite good at it, too. Better, even. I can open a door of sorts outside the city walls… and everyone can step through to the other side."

Even Hubert had the grace to look impressed. 

"How long will you be able to keep it open?"

"Long enough to get everyone through."

Edelgard smiled warmly at Lysithea. "Thank you, Lysithea. Your help is greatly appreciated."

Lysithea blushed faintly and crossed her arms, but in spite of the closed body language, she was smiling.

"It's settled, then. We leave for Arianrhod at dawn. See to it that you're all well-prepared before then," Edelgard said. "You all may go."

Everyone filed out of the room at Edelgard's bidding, some heading off to train and others to pack some belongings for the journey ahead. Ferdinand stayed behind with Edelgard, Hubert and Byleth. He seemed troubled.

"If I may speak, Your Majesty," Ferdinand began, frowning slightly as he looked toward Byleth. "I think it would be for the best if the professor sits this mission out."

Byleth bristled.

"I mean no offense, Professor, but your pregnancy is beginning to show. If you overdo it, the baby could be harmed."

Byleth frowned and rested a hand over her vaguely rounder stomach, glancing over at Hubert. She knew Ferdinand was right, but she didn't want to admit it.

"Then I will stay out of the fighting," Byleth stated firmly, brow furrowed. "But I am not staying behind. I'm going, as a healer if I must. Manuela has been teaching me more white magic—"

" _ No _ ." Hubert's voice was firm. He locked eyes with Byleth then and his expression softened slightly, as did his voice, when he saw the downtrodden look in her eyes. "No. Ferdinand is right, Byleth. You must stay here at the monastery. I would feel much better if I knew for certain you were safe than if you were anywhere near the front lines."

"But—"

"Byleth." Hubert placed his hands on both of her shoulders, gazing down into her eyes as he held her gently. "Please." Something Byleth saw in those pale green eyes in that moment told her that this was one argument she wouldn't win, and with an unhappy sigh, she relented. 

"May I be excused, Edelgard?" she asked, looking away. 

"Yes, of course. I will send for you if I have need of you."

Byleth left without another word, and Hubert looked toward Edelgard with an apologetic frown. It was clear to her immediately that he wanted to go after Byleth, so Edelgard smiled at him and nodded her permission. Hubert gave a quick bow, and he too left the room.

Ferdinand smiled slightly as he watched him go, crossing his arms. 

"The professor has had quite an effect on him," he observed. "He has changed for the better, I think."

"You think so?" Edelgard inquired, leaning against the war table and regarding Ferdinand with eyes that were almost fond. Once Ferdinand looked at her, that fondness was hidden away once more beneath the surface where he wouldn't see it. "One could say the same about you, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"You have scarcely left my side since we fought the Knights of Seiros together two months ago."

"Ah…" Ferdinand blushed, smiling sheepishly and looking away. "I don't really know what to say other than this: as long as I'm able, I will keep you safe. You're far too important, both to the Empire, and…" He trailed off then, unsure of himself and visibly flustered.

"And…?"

Ferdinand hesitated. "Forgive me, but I… I've just recalled something that needs my immediate attention. You will summon me if you have the need, I trust?"

Edelgard regarded him with some amusement, the smile never leaving her face. "Naturally."

"Okay then. Good. Right. I'll… I'll see you later." With that, Ferdinand swept from the room and Edelgard was left alone.

Hubert found Byleth fairly quickly, sitting on the bed in their room (he slept there so often that Byleth had finally asked him to just move in with her, which he graciously accepted without a second thought). She looked over her shoulder when she heard the door close and watched as Hubert crossed the room toward her. He paused at the edge of the bed as though waiting for permission to sit down and she silently gave it by scooting a couple of inches to her right. He took a seat.

"You're angry with me." It was a statement, not a question.

Byleth shook her head. "No, not angry. I just… Hubert, I don't want to stay behind and do nothing while you're risking your life in Arianrhod." She bit her lip and placed a hand on her stomach, eyes shimmering. "If anything happens to you there… I won't know of it until the others return and give me the bad news." A single tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away, inhaling shakily. "I don't want to lose you, too."

Hubert wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, combing his fingers through her hair. "Nothing is going to keep me from returning to you. As long as you are here, and as long as you wait for me… I will always come back. Always."

Byleth smiled, wrapping her arms around him in return. She could spend hours like this, just being held in those strong arms and feeling those hands on her. Those hands that could kill so very easily in a number of ways but were also capable of making her feel so safe and treasured.

Hubert tilted Byleth's chin up and kissed her softly, closing his eyes. She hummed quietly in response, brushing the tip of her tongue against his bottom lip. Her hands busied themselves with unbuckling Hubert's cloak from around his throat, pushing it off of his shoulders. Feeling the weight of the heavy black fabric dropping away, Hubert chuckled softly into the kiss and broke it for a moment, smirking a scant inch from her plush lips.

"Didn't Manuela warn you about too much rigorous activity?" he asked, his tone as teasing as it was capable of getting. Byleth rolled her eyes and moved to straddle Hubert's lap, placing her hands on his chest and slowly pushing him down onto his back. His hands found her hips and held her in place, something decidedly smug about his expression.

"It'll be fine as long as we're careful," she whispered, nipping the shell of his ear and relishing in the clipped intake of breath it elicited. "If we're going to be apart for a while… I want our time together tonight to last."

Byleth received no protests from the raven-haired man beneath her. She rubbed herself slowly against him, smiling as she felt his body starting to respond. He moaned softly next to her ear and she rewarded him by nibbling the side of his neck. His fingers tightened for a moment at her hips and he pushed up against her, his trousers already feeling very much in the way. Byleth tended to agree whenever that sentiment arose, unspoken or otherwise, and she normally made quick work of his belt in times like this.

This time, though… she wanted to drag it out. She straddled his thighs instead of his hips and pressed her palm against the bulge she found there, lightly curling her fingers around what she could and stroking him through the fabric.

"A-ah…" Hubert pushed against her hand, his eyes hooded with desire as she did everything in her power to work him up. He wasn't used to Byleth taking charge like this in bed, and he would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. "How long do you intend to tease me?"

"As long as I can stand," Byleth answered with a little grin, giving his cock a squeeze through the black fabric confining it. His mouth fell open in a silent cry of bliss. "I told you… I want to savor you tonight."

She kept it up for a couple more minutes before giving Hubert some semblance of relief and unbuckling his belt, pulling his trousers down just enough to expose him. She wrapped her hand around him and gave him a single firm, slow stroke from root to tip, pleasure coursing through her center at the amazingly honest groan that escaped him. She started to get on her knees beside the bed to get in a better position for taking him into her mouth, but she was surprised when Hubert grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"If you want to savor me," he began, his silky-smooth voice deep and positively dripping with sin, "then I would like to savor you as well. Undress."

Intrigued, Byleth happily obliged, undressing herself slowly so she could tease Hubert visually as well as physically. He did the same, taking off the remainder of his clothing as slowly as he could stand to so that Byleth, too, had some eye candy to work her up. It seemed to have worked exceptionally well, since by the time he was finished undressing, Byleth was practically vibrating with impatience. It almost brought him to laugh, since she was the one who was making a fuss out of going slowly, but he resisted the urge. 

"Now," he murmured, "knees here, above my shoulders… Face toward the end of the bed… Yes, just like that." He wrapped his long fingers around Byleth's thighs as she complied with his instructions, licking his lips as he gazed up at her, wet and ready for attention. He brought his head up off the bed enough to flick his tongue across her clit, strong hands holding her hips steady when she jolted slightly with surprise.

"Hubert," she gasped, quaking on top of him as his tongue worshipped the sensitive bud. "O- _ oh _ …" He had done this to her before, of course, but never in this position. She understood why he picked it, though, as it allowed her to return the favor simultaneously. She bent forward and wrapped her fingers around his cock, stroking him once, twice, before bringing the tip into her mouth. Every swirl of her tongue was reciprocated on her clit, and it drove her wild. She took the rest of him into her mouth, bobbing her head back and forth and applying just the right amount of suction.

Hubert's fingers dug into Byleth's thighs when something she did with her tongue sent fire coursing through his veins and he moaned deeply, breathing hotly over her clit. Her scent and taste were heady, and he truly could not get enough. His tongue dragged slowly upward, flickering for a moment against the edge of her pussy before pushing inside.

Byleth arched her back and whimpered around Hubert's cock, shivers dancing through her. She slid her mouth off of him in favor of letting him hear her cries, egging him on. She stroked him with her hand instead, not wanting to leave him completely wanting. He soon pushed two fingers into her in place of his tongue, curling them just right in order to immediately rub against that oh-so-sensitive place deep inside.

"Hubert… I'm…!" Byleth's words were cut off by a keening cry as her orgasm hit her without warning and she spasmed around his fingers, back arching as even more wet heat pooled between her legs.

Hubert didn't remove his fingers until he felt Byleth's muscles stop spasming around them. He licked her slick from his fingers then, smirking at the sharp intake of breath that resulted from her watching him do it.

"Do you still want to go slowly?" he asked, fingers lightly teasing her nipples when she turned around to face him and rubbed her sensitive clit against the head of his cock. She bit her lip to stifle a moan, nodding.

"Very well. At your leisure, then."

She teased herself and him for a few minutes by continuing to rub her pussy against him, her moisture dripping down the shaft and causing him to curse quietly under his breath at how good it felt. When she couldn't take anymore teasing, she slid down on him slowly until he was fully seated inside of her, whimpering with bliss at the sensation of being filled so completely. Hubert moaned, eyes fluttering closed and fingers squeezing Byleth's hips when that moist heat engulfed him. Then she started to roll her hips, and it was pure bliss. Slow and torturous, but so,  _ so _ good.

They made love like that for a while, the lazy motion of Byleth's hips ensuring that Hubert remained right on the edge without pitching over it. He felt her spasm a few times as smaller orgasms hit her throughout their lovemaking, not screaming orgasms but ones that made her head fall back as she uttered blissful sighs and gasps of admiration and praise. He was captivated by how beautiful she was and gently urged her to lean forward, cupping her face with both hands as he pulled her into a slow, passionate kiss. He panted softly against her lips, tensing up as another wave of heat slithered through him, more insistent than the last.

"I'm close," he whispered, cheeks flushed and pupils dilated with desire and need. He uttered a strangled groan when he felt Byleth consciously squeeze around him. She nipped along his jawline and when she felt him release inside of her mere moments later, she whimpered quietly and whispered soft praises into his ear as he filled her up. She didn't slide off of Hubert until she felt him beginning to soften inside of her, laying on her side next to him and tracing undefinable patterns on his abs with her fingertips as she came down from her post-coital high.

They lay like that for a while, enjoying each other's warmth and company before finally, Byleth broke the comfortable silence.

"Promise me," she murmured, eyes shimmering with tears as she lay her head on Hubert's chest.

"Hm?"

"Promise me that, no matter what happens… you'll come back."

Hubert's expression softened and he carded his fingers through Byleth's hair, closing his eyes as his other arm held her tighter to his side.

"I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next one!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Eagle Strike Force goes to Arianrhod to claim the Fortress City for the Empire, but Cornelia is waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is soooo long haha. 
> 
> Also, I forgot to mention in the previous chapter notes, but I'm on Tumblr! Feel free to follow me on there if you're so inclined, or leave me messages. I'll answer them all if I can! samarielvonvestra.tumblr.com

Byleth hadn't wanted that morning to arrive.

It was a beautiful morning, with a clear sky and no clouds in sight, with only a bit of a chill in the air, but Byleth couldn't bring herself to enjoy the weather. She stood near the main gate with the others, saying her goodbyes and wishing them luck for the battle to come.

She got to Hubert last and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and hiding her face against his chest. He held her close, whispering to her so that only she would hear: "I  _ will _ come back."

"You better," she whispered back, eyes welling with tears as she clung to him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Hubert smiled gently as he pulled away from her just enough to rest a gloved hand on her belly. "Both of you."

Byleth had to try very hard to keep the tears from flowing as Hubert kissed her one final time. She held the kiss for as long as he would allow before reluctantly letting him slip from her grasp.

She watched sadly as they left, remaining at the gate until they were no longer in sight. Only when they were gone did she let the tears fall, turning on her heel and walking back into the monastery.

***********

It was several days before the imposing walls of Arianrhod came into view. The Black Eagles approached the city more carefully from that point on, and Sylvain couldn't help but notice that something seemed to be bothering Felix. He put a hand on his childhood friend's shoulder to get his attention, frowning.

"You okay, Felix?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Felix asked coolly, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of the sword at his belt.

"Well… Hubert said he got word that Rodrigue is in Arianrhod with Cornelia. Since he told us that, you've been—"

"Worry about yourself and Dorothea, not about me," Felix snapped, fixing Sylvain with an icy glare that warned him not to say another word. "If I must face my father today, so be it. I will cut him down just as I would any other enemy."

It took another hour for the Black Eagles to reach the city, and once they got there, they had to act quickly before they were discovered and the enemy had time to respond. Lysithea moved to the front of their small formation when Hubert gave her the signal and she put her prodigious magical skill to work, dark magic surrounding her hands. Her brow furrowed with concentration, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face. The crackling ball of smoke and sparks got larger and larger between her hands before she launched it at one of the city walls. A shadowy pool spread outward along the stone, forming an abyssal door that was large enough for them all to fit through. She kept her hands raised in front of her, gritting her teeth as she focused her energy on keeping the door open.

A soldier high above on the battlements spotted them and yelled to his comrades, running to man one of the large crossbows lining the top of the wall.

"We've been spotted!" Sylvain said loud enough for the rest of the group to hear him.

"They'll lose track of us inside the city walls," Hubert stated calmly, pulling his sword out of its sheath. "They have no way of knowing where we will emerge."

"Unfortunately, neither do we," Ferdinand said.

"Go," Lysithea bit out. "I'll be right behind you."

"Forward!" Edelgard commanded, and they all ran into the shadowy door. Once they were through, a similar portal opened within the city and they emerged with their weapons raised. The handful of soldiers near the portal had no time to react before Ferdinand cut them all down with a single, deadly strike of his lance. They yelled; blood sprayed; they fell. Lysithea came through the portal then as well, and it closed behind her.

"We're under attack!" came one Kingdom soldier's voice.

"Where did they go?! Find them,  _ now! _ "

They stayed together, watching each other's backs and fighting as one. The element of surprise had served the group well. Even with their small number, the enemy hadn't gotten any warning and hadn't the time to prepare for their assault. For now, the Black Eagles maintained a clear advantage, and Hubert intended to keep it that way. He clashed swords with an assassin that tried to flank Edelgard, smirking as dark magic arced up his blade and splintered off into the man's chest like hundreds of tiny, razor-sharp daggers.

"S-stay away!" Bernadetta cried when a heavily armored knight came toward her with his shield raised, her arrow splintering when it made contact with the glistening metal. She took a step back, shaking with fear.

"I've got you, Bernie!" Dorothea twirled her skirts with a flourish, the intensity of mystical flames swirling similarly around the knight and effectively cooking him inside his armor. 

Petra scrambled up onto a nearby building using a stack of crates beside it, sprinting across the roof and firing arrow after arrow into any soldier that got too close to her friends. Several yards away, Felix leaped up and flipped over one of his assailants, stabbing both of his swords backwards and impaling him with ease before ripping them out and tearing through the other two like a deadly whirlwind of blades.

"Felix,  _ enough! _ " 

It was the one voice that Felix had absolutely not wanted to hear. He scoffed and turned to look at the man on horseback, almond-shaped eyes narrowing with hatred as he beheld his father. Rodrigue looked conflicted, and his eyes that looked so much like Felix's were full of anguish at the prospect of having to run down his only living heir.

"Lower your swords, Felix," Rodrigue said, swallowing a lump in his throat. His voice was pained. "It doesn't have to be this way. I don't know what promises that witch made you in exchange for your service, but if you come with me… I will convince His Majesty to treat you mercifully."

"Edelgard made no empty promises to me," Felix stated, pointing one of his bloody swords directly at Rodrigue. "Why would I ever choose to go with  _ you _ when my place is with the winning side, with those who refuse to bend to ridiculous, antiquated ideals that should have been snuffed out centuries ago?"

"Do you truly think this is what Glenn would have wanted? For his younger brother to betray the royal family he gave his life to protect, out of  _ spite? _ "

Felix's eyes filled with thinly veiled rage at the mention of his brother and a muscle in his jaw twitched. It had always been a very sore topic for him, and most knew better than to bring up Glenn's name within earshot.

"Shut up," he growled lowly, fingers tightening around the hilts of his swords.

"Felix—"

"I said,  _ shut up! _ " He lunged. Rodrigue parried with his lance. Sparks flew.

Sylvain watched from a distance, wide-eyed, as Felix and Rodrigue clashed. Felix moved like a daemon, using his speed to his advantage and trying to overwhelm Rodrigue in that way. However, Rodrigue was well-known as one of the finest knights in Faerghus, and Sylvain knew bringing him down wouldn't be easy, even for one as skilled as Felix.

Felix was very quickly becoming frustrated. Blow after blow resulted in parry after parry, and he could tell his father wasn't taking him seriously. He was on the defensive, blocking his blows but not dealing any himself. If he could get Rodrigue off his horse, he would have no choice but to go on the offensive as well. With a furious roar, Felix twisted suddenly and swept both of his swords at the horse's front legs, severing one and wounding the other. The horse shrieked in agony and Felix jumped back when it reared, buckling when it landed on its wounded leg and falling to the ground. Rodrigue jumped and rolled before the horse could crush him, cursing and watching as the beast tried and failed to get back up as its blood trickled down the cracks in the cobblestones.

Felix flourished one of his swords in his right hand, flicking the horse's blood off of it. He was so focused on Rodrigue that he made one critical error he often chastised Sylvain for: he neglected to observe his surroundings. An enemy arrow lodged itself in his thigh and he cried out, the pain bringing him to one knee. 

"Felix!" Sylvain gasped, quickly dispatching the archer who shot him with a well-placed throw of his lance. He drew his sword now that his lance was buried in someone's chest several yards away and moved to assist his childhood friend, but he was forced to dodge as a knight wielding a mace came at him. He cursed loudly, chancing a glance at Felix between blows. He needed to get over there… 

Felix sheathed one of his swords and breathed heavily through the pain as he slowly pulled the arrow out of his leg, gritting his teeth and angrily throwing it aside. Blood poured from the wound and he tried and failed to get to his feet, falling right back down again. Rodrigue approached him with his lance and Felix looked up at him with pure hatred burning in his eyes, snarling.

"It saddens me that it had to be this way," he stated solemnly, eyes glistening. "In the name of King Dimitri, I sentence you, Felix Hugo Fraldarius… my son… to death, for the crimes of treason and conspiracy against the throne. May the goddess have mercy on your soul."

Felix was defiant even when Rodrigue raised his lance, keeping his head held high as he braced himself. He closed his eyes… 

A sword shoved its way out through Rodrigue's chest from behind and he choked, his lance falling to the ground with a loud clatter. The noise caused Felix to open his eyes, which grew wide with shock at the sight before him. Rodrigue coughed and blood poured from his mouth as his assailant tore the blade roughly out of him and he fell, now able to look up into the face of his killer. 

"G-Gautier…?"

There stood Sylvain, sword soaked in Fraldarius blood and a grim but resolved expression on his face. He bent and picked up Rodrigue's lance, taking away his only chance of retaliation as he lay dying on the ground. Rodrigue's chest rose only a couple more times before his breath rattled out of him and he fell still, blood spreading outward from his body at a steady pace. Sylvain sighed, frowning. 

"Sorry, Rodrigue… but you gave me no choice." He held his free hand out toward Felix to help him up.

Felix sighed and accepted Sylvain's help, getting to his feet and wincing heavily as he was forced to lean against the man for support. 

"Looks like it finally got to be me doing the saving," Sylvain said, forcing a small smile. "I never would have guessed I would be saving your skin from your old man though."

"Shut up," Felix mumbled, though there was the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

"Come on, let's find Linhardt. He'll be able to fix you up in no time."

"Sylvain."

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you."

Sylvain's expression softened. "Anytime."

Edelgard yelled at Ferdinand to get down as a knight's battle-ax raised to strike. His eyes widened as Edelgard got between he and the enemy, bringing her large shield up to absorb the blow. Ferdinand assisted her by jabbing his lance into the knight's stomach, piercing his armor and watching as blood oozed from between the layers of split metal. A few feet away, Lysithea summoned dark tendrils to impale another nearby enemy and Hubert viciously ripped his sword out of the chest of another.

"Thank you, Edelgard," Ferdinand said, yanking his lance out of the Kingdom soldier. "If it weren't for you, I could have very well lost my head there."

"What a pity that would be."

Suddenly, the ground shook so violently that Edelgard had to lean against a nearby wall to steady herself, nearly being knocked to her feet. Ferdinand instinctively reached out to steady her with one hand, stopping just shy of her shoulder when he realized she had caught herself. Small pieces of stone dislodged from the buildings in the immediate vicinity, crashing upon the cobbles below and upon Edelgard's shield as she raised it to protect herself from the falling debris.

"What was that?" she exclaimed, looking to Hubert as though expecting he would have an answer, as he always did. 

"I do not know. Are you hurt at all, Your Majesty?" Hubert asked, wincing when a falling piece of debris caught him on the head and left a shallow cut. It immediately started to bleed, streaking the left side of his face with claret red. He paid it no need, more concerned for Edelgard in that moment than in such a minor injury.

"I'm fine, but—" The ground shook again, more violently than before, and a strange sort of mechanical roar pierced the air. At that moment, Linhardt and the rest of the Black Eagles stumbled down the street toward them, pleased to have found each other again after briefly getting separated amidst all the chaos, but looking a little worse for wear. Sylvain and Felix brought up the rear and the redhead led the swordsman to sit down, motioning for Linhardt to come help. Felix winced at every movement of his right leg, hand pressed tightly against the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding on his own. Linhardt fell to his knees in front of Felix, mostly because he was finding it difficult to stand with the constant tremors rattling the ground below his feet, and immediately set to work healing the wound. His hands glowed with a gentle, white light and Felix uttered a shaky sigh of relief and a quiet thank you when the healing magic caused his pain and the wound to completely melt away.

Another mechanical roar; another loud crash. This time, it was closer. Bernadetta was looking around her frantically, terrified, and when she looked up and over the roof of the adjacent row of buildings, she paled with terror.

"What is it, Bernie?" Dorothea asked, uneasy. She had seen Bernadetta scared before, but not like this.

Bernadetta couldn't utter a single word. All she could do was point, her hand shaking. They all followed her gaze, and that was when they saw it.

"Cornelia's secret weapon," Hubert muttered, eyes wide with shock at the enormity of what he was seeing. "The Titanus… She has unleashed it." The machine must have been over two stories high, wielding a giant blade and shield and attacking anything it laid its eyes upon. It moved slowly but with purpose, and they scrambled into the shadows of a nearby alleyway once it came into view, trying desperately to stay out of sight.

"Is it… also attacking Kingdom soldiers?" Edelgard breathed, hearing screams.

"This is bad," Ferdinand said, trying to stay out of the creature's sight. "There is no way we can win against something like that on our own. What should we do, Edelgard?"

"I'm thinking!" she hissed, pale with fear when the ground shook again. 

"Forgive me, but you may have to consider thinking faster…!"

"Cornelia," Hubert stated simply, lips set in a thin line. "Titanus are mystical as well as mechanical, if the intel I've gotten is to be believed. If we take care of Cornelia, they will no longer be a threat."

"You want to risk our lives on a  _ hunch? _ " Ferdinand sputtered. "You can't be serious!"

Hubert's eyes flashed with anger. "Do you have a better idea?"

"If they are magical in nature, then perhaps it would stand to reason that magic could also defeat them," Linhardt mused.

Hubert considered Linhardt's suggestion for a few moments before speaking, resolve in his voice. "I will keep its attention and buy you some time, Your Majesty. Cornelia will very likely be at Count Rowe's estate. Ferdinand, see to it that Her Majesty is not harmed."

Edelgard shook her head. "Hubert, if you believe for one second that I am going to leave you here to fight that thing alone—"

"He won't be alone." Lysithea walked up beside him, determination burning in her rose-colored eyes. "I will stay and fight as well." When Hubert sighed and opened his mouth to protest, she bristled.

"I owe the professor a debt for sparing my life in Derdriu," she said firmly. "I owe it to her to ensure the father of her child lives another day. You can't stop me; my mind is already made up."

"If that is what you have decided, then… I will gladly accept your assistance, Lysithea," Hubert relented, smiling faintly at her. 

Dorothea and Linhardt also volunteered to help Hubert, while Sylvain and Felix offered to stay with them as backup. The others decided to go with Edelgard and Ferdinand. 

"Alright, now that we all know what we're doing… best of luck to you all," Edelgard said confidently to the magic users. "We'll see you on the other side." With that, Edelgard, Ferdinand and the remainder of the group hurried to the opposite end of the alleyway, turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

"I do hope you know what you're doing, Hubert," Linhardt stated wearily, crossing his arms. "Meeting my death here today would be a huge inconvenience, though I'm sure that goes without saying."

Hubert glared icily at him before looking up toward where the Titanus's head was visible above the adjacent row of buildings. It was searching for them, and it  _ would _ find them soon enough. He just had to make sure it found them before it found Edelgard. 

"Now!" he commanded, running out of the alley and into the open. The others followed. Dark magic swirled around Hubert and he threw a large, shadowy lance at the creature's head with a yell, watching with satisfaction as it exploded upon contact with its metal exterior. The Titanus released a mechanical growl that wasn't unlike the sound of large, rusty gears turning and it turned its head slowly in the direction of the impact.

Hubert smirked.

Edelgard and her small group fought their way to the Rowe estate, holding nothing back from the soldiers they came across. Edelgard crouched and positioned her shield in a way that allowed Ferdinand to use it like a springboard and he used the momentum to plunge his lance deep into the chest of an enemy soldier, blood spraying up into his face and making him look almost feral. Edelgard ran forward and slammed her shield into another before doing a quick spin and embedding the blade of her ax several inches deep in armor and flesh.

"We're almost there," Edelgard noted, sweat and blood dripping down her face and gore making her golden armor shine crimson in the light. "Just a little more…!"

"Edelgard, look!" Ferdinand yelled, pointing. She did, and when she saw two more Titanus approaching the Rowe estate, her heart sank. The Kingdom soldiers too seemed terrified at the sight, turning their attention toward the strange, walking weaponry and temporarily away from Edelgard's entourage. The Titanus didn't seem to have any care for sides, merely seeking to kill anything that was holding a weapon. One of the large swords slammed a few of the soldiers aside, sending them flying and crashing, broken, into the side of the estate. 

"Quickly, get inside while they're distracted!" Edelgard yelled, running toward the entrance of the estate. Her allies followed closely and Edelgard shoved the doors closed behind her once they were inside, panting heavily from the sprint.

"We don't have a lot of time," she said, breathless. "We have to find Cornelia before they—"

" _ Edelgard! _ " Ferdinand yelled, alarmed. A shadowy spear flew across the foyer at Edelgard from the top of the main staircase and Ferdinand got between her and it, taking her protectively into his arms before Edelgard could even grasp what was happening. He choked out a pained cry as the projectile struck below his right shoulder, piercing armor and flesh like they were paper. The projectile vanished like smoke once it struck a target, and blood flowed immediately from the wound. He fell to his knees in agony and Edelgard followed him down, hands on either side of his neck as she held him.

"You fool," she hissed, eyes wild with fury and worry in equal measure. "Ferdinand, stay with me…"

A cruel laugh came from the top of the stairs and Edelgard looked up to see a tall, redheaded woman with an elaborate but too-revealing outfit standing there, a magic staff in her hands. 

"You have some nerve coming here to kill  _ me _ , Emperor Edelgard," she said defiantly, dark magic swirling menacingly around the gem affixed to the top of her staff. "I congratulate you on getting this far."

Petra and Shamir aimed their bows threateningly at Cornelia, standing on either side of Edelgard and Ferdinand who were still kneeling on the floor. Edelgard shook with rage. Ferdinand smiled at her, a thin trickle of blood streaming down his chin from the corner of his mouth. 

"I'm alright, Your Majesty… It'll take more than this to kill Ferdinand von Aegir," he stated, voice strained as he spoke through the pain. "Take her down…"

Edelgard's eyes shimmered and she nodded, picking her ax up off the floor and getting to her feet. She made her way up the stairs toward Cornelia, and Shamir prepared to fire the second she made a move to attack while Petra bent to help Ferdinand. She had a vulnerary in the small pack at her waist, which would at least manage his pain and assist the blood in clotting, but he needed a healer. He drank from the vial and winced at the bitter flavor as it touched his tongue.

"It's over, Cornelia," Edelgard said hatefully when she reached the woman. Shamir fired an arrow that merely grazed Cornelia's cheek when the royal mage raised her staff to attack, missing on purpose and leaving a thin cut on her otherwise flawless face. She nocked another arrow to her bowstring, eyes narrowed. Cornelia clicked her tongue with distaste as she brought her fingertips up to touch the cut on her cheek, wincing.

"All is in accordance with this carefully crafted script of ours." She laughed darkly, not a trace of humor in the madness of the sound. "What a masterpiece! What a delightful dance…"

Edelgard cared not for what those ominous words meant. To her, it sounded nonsensical. The ravings of a desperate madwoman. She severed Cornelia's head from her miserable shoulders with one swing of her ax then, watching as her body fell to the floor, lifeless in a rapidly spreading pool of blood.

Hubert and the others had succeeded in bringing down one of the Titanus, but much to their dismay, another came to replace it. His energy was waning quickly and he was forced to go on the defensive, summoning towering spikes from the ground around him to act as a sort of shield whenever the Titanus attacked with its sword. Blood continued to stream from the cut on his head, flowing faster with every rapid beat of his heart. Dorothea threw a fireball at the Titanus's head, distracting it from Hubert just long enough for him to catch his breath. It turned on her instead, lashing out at her with its sword arm and hitting her with its wrist before she could move. She uttered a quick scream as she was knocked away, landing on her back about thirty feet away on the street. She lay there and struggled for breath, winded.

"Dorothea!" Sylvain sprinted toward her and scooped her up into his arms, holding her close. She really seemed to be struggling to breathe and he started to panic, not knowing what to do. Before he could open his mouth and yell for Linhardt, a pale green glow surrounded Dorothea in his arms and her breathing gradually returned to normal as Linhardt healed her internal injuries from a distance, having seen everything from where he was standing. Lysithea pulled the Titanus's attention away from the couple with a well-placed Miasma spell, giving them a moment of reprieve. 

The Titanus's sword glowed; Felix ran as fast as he could to where Lysithea stood, yelling her name. When the sword slashed horizontally through the air, a fiery blade of energy launched swiftly into the large building Lysithea was standing next to. Felix scooped her up in his arms without stopping and leaped out of the way right as the building started to crumble, tons and tons of debris crashing to the street where she had just been standing. He rolled across the ground with her in his arms, wincing as he landed on his back with her on top of him.

The Titanus readied another attack, but its movements stuttered mechanically before it could swing its sword again. Hubert watched curiously as a few moments later, the Titanus fell still as a statue. He smiled faintly.

_ They did it _ , he thought, looking in the direction of the Rowe estate. Cornelia was dead and with her, the magic that had been powering the Titanus.

"Did… did we win?" Dorothea inquired, getting to her feet carefully with Sylvain's help and walking toward the others.

"It would seem so," Hubert answered.

Lysithea quickly scrambled off of Felix when she realized the position they were in, visibly flustered as she dusted herself off.

"Are you hurt?" Felix asked her as he got to his feet.

"N-no," Lysithea answered. "Thank you, Felix."

Felix scoffed and crossed his arms, looking away irritably. "Don't mention it."

"Wait." Dorothea looked around, eyes widening slightly and face going pale when she came to a sudden realization. She grasped Sylvain's hand tighter, voice shaking as she spoke. "W-where's Linhardt?"

They fell silent as a singular feeling of dread crept over and through them.

The alley that Linhardt had concealed himself in to heal them all from afar during the battle now lay beneath heavy debris.

"Lin…?" Dorothea's eyes filled with tears as she approached the pile of rubble. She covered her face with her hands as she fell to her knees, choking back a sob. "No… Not him too…!"

Sylvain pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, resting a hand on the back of her head as she cried into his chest.

"Why is she crying? Did I miss something?"

Dorothea gasped and looked up when she heard the lazy, perpetually bored-sounding voice. Her eyes lit up when they beheld Linhardt walking up to them. He was wounded, blood soaking his side and oozing from between his fingers, but he was alive.

Dorothea ran toward her friend and hugged him, apologizing fervently when he hissed through his teeth in pain. She pulled away to smile at him, tears still rolling down her cheeks. 

"You scared me, Lin," she cried, wiping at her eyes. "I… I thought…"

"You thought I was crushed under all that rubble. Well, I nearly was… but once I saw the Titanus readying an attack, I ran as fast as I could to the other end of the alley. I was able to make it out before the building collapsed, but only just. As for the wound, I encountered a Kingdom soldier on my way back over here, and he got one good hit in before I disposed of him."

Linhardt yawned, regarding them all tiredly. "If we are done here, may we return to camp now? Taking Arianrhod is cause for celebration, I should think."

"Linhardt is right," Sylvain said with a grin, pleased to see he was alive and well. "I did pack a bottle of wine with our rations for such an occasion."

"No, you fool, I'm talking about celebrating our victory with a nice, long nap before heading back to Garreg Mach. I'm positively exhausted."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you all seriously think I would kill everyone's favorite pillow prince? :P
> 
> See you in the next one!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Eagle Strike Force returns to Garreg Mach after taking Arianrhod, and Edelgard has a lot to think about.

The sun was barely above the horizon when Byleth got herself out of bed. Eight days had passed since she said goodbye to the others and even though she was trying not to let it show, she was beside herself with worry. She hated not being able to fight alongside them. She knew they were more than capable of handling themselves, but the waiting game was almost too much to bear and they were due back two days prior. What was taking them so long? She walked aimlessly through the monastery grounds, looking up at the gradually lightening sky with a silent plea in her eyes. Would the goddess even listen to her now? She couldn't help but wonder.

Byleth returned to her quarters once the sun was peeking over the trees, finally feeling as though she could get another hour or two of sleep. When her room was in sight, she suddenly stopped. Her blood ran cold.

The door to her room was open.

_ I know I closed it,  _ she thought warily. Who would be in her room? There had been no sign or word of her former students' return, and Hanneman and Manuela never entered her room unless invited. She realized then that she had left the Sword of the Creator near her bed before going for her walk, and she quietly cursed her own stupidity. The lack of the sword meant all she had to protect herself from an intruder was the dagger she always wore. She drew it out of its sheath and quietly approached the room, ready for anything.

She entered the room slowly, looking around as she crossed the threshold. She didn't see anyone, but there was one place that she wouldn't be able to see right away from where she was standing, and it was the space directly behind the open door. She reached for the doorknob, her other hand tightening its grip on her dagger. She quickly moved to close the door and lunged around it before it closed at whoever was hiding behind it, but before she could do anything, a gloved hand grabbed her wrist and kept the dagger at bay. 

The first things she noticed were those green eyes, the right one partially covered by thick, black hair. And that smirk… She gasped at the sight of him, all the fight going out of her instantaneously.

"Of all the ways I thought to be greeted, a dagger nearly slicing my throat open was not what I expected," came that silky voice, dripping with amusement. He released her wrist and she dropped her dagger in favor of throwing herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly, nestling her cheek against his chest.

"When did you get back? I… I was outside until just now and I didn't hear any word that you had all returned!" she exclaimed.

"The others will be returning within the hour," he stated, rubbing her back. "Her Majesty gave me permission to shadowstep back to you, ahead of them. I wanted to surprise you."

"Did… did they all…?"

"Yes, we all made it back. Ferdinand suffered a significant injury from Cornelia's dark magic, but after a couple extra days of recuperation, he is doing just fine now."

Byleth was so relieved to hear everyone was safe and she released a quiet sob of joy into Hubert's chest, clinging tighter to him and smiling bigger than she had since before they left for Arianrhod. She stood on her toes and kissed Hubert passionately, pushing him against the wall and putting everything she had into the kiss. She had missed him terribly.

Hubert kissed back with just as much fervor, hand on the back of Byleth's head to keep her close. He put everything into that kiss: how much he had missed her, how everything he had done that week was so he could come back to her, and how empty he had felt without her by his side.

Like Hubert had said, the rest of the Black Eagle Strike Force were not far behind and returned to the monastery within the hour. They each went their separate ways to take care of their own affairs, some going to the training ground and some (namely, Bernadetta) going straight to their rooms. Edelgard was one of them, heading upstairs to the third floor of the monastery and walking into what was now her bedroom. She closed the door behind her with a sigh and went into the adjoining washroom to draw herself a bath. She felt disgusting, and her mind was plagued with troublesome thoughts that she hoped could be drowned in the warmth of the water. Since Ferdinand was injured in Arianrhod, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him… _ _

****************

_ _ In the beginning, she thought it was guilt. He could have died protecting her that day, all because she was careless enough to stand with her back to the room when Cornelia could very well be behind her. Ferdinand had saved her life yet again, and it was the first time she felt his own life truly could have been lost. Were it not for the vulnerary Petra had in her pack, he may very well have bled out before they could get him to Linhardt. Even when they could get him there, Linhardt had a surprising amount of trouble healing the wound.

"Magically-induced wounds are always harder to heal," Linhardt had explained to her, sweat dripping from his brow with all the energy he was putting into healing him. "Cornelia was clearly a powerful mage, and this is dark magic I've never seen before. I don't know if I can—"

"You  _ will _ ," Edelgard said firmly to him, "because your emperor commands it." 

"Your Majesty." Hubert's voice was mild as he tried to calm her. "Linhardt is doing all he can. I understand that you are angry, but he is not the one you should be directing that anger toward."

Edelgard looked down at Ferdinand and swallowed a lump in her throat. His ginger hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. He was shirtless, tense and writhing with agony on his stomach on the bedroll in his tent at their camp, Linhardt kneeling over him with his hands just inches from his injury. Even the white magic seemed to be causing Ferdinand pain, thanks to Cornelia's dark magic still lingering in the wound, and Shamir insisted he bite down on the shaft of one of her arrows to focus on anything other than the agony and avoid biting his tongue while Linhardt did what he had to do. He did what she suggested, biting down on the strong wood as hard as he could. It pained Edelgard to see him that way.

"Linhardt, let me help," Lysithea said, kneeling beside him. "Between the two of us, this will be much easier and take much less time. It will still hurt him, but… he won't have to endure it as long."

Linhardt agreed to let her help and the bishop and gremory got to work. Ferdinand screamed around the shaft of wood gripped between his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. Edelgard hesitated a moment before kneeling on the other side of him and she reached for his hand, gripping it tightly. He looked up at her, eyes wide with alarm as well as pain as he feared hurting her in his agony. Edelgard forced a small smile.

"It's okay, Ferdinand. You can squeeze my hand if it will give you something else to focus on. You don't need to worry about hurting me. You are suffering now because of me; it is only fair that I help in whatever way I can."

Ferdinand just gave a tight nod and squeezed Edelgard's hand. His grip tightened any time the pain became too much for him to handle, tears squeezing out from under his eyelashes. Fifteen minutes later, Ferdinand's constitution finally gave out and he lost consciousness, which frightened Edelgard at first until Lysithea assured her that he would be alright. Even though he was no longer squeezing her hand, she did not let go of his for even a moment. It took another forty-five minutes for the wound to heal and when only a faint scar was left behind to show that it was ever there to begin with, Edelgard sighed heavily in relief.

Linhardt and Lysithea moved their hands away from Ferdinand's motionless body, both looking utterly drained. Edelgard thanked them sincerely for their assistance and their patience and insisted that they go rest, which they agreed to without even a hint of protest. She sent the others out of the tent as well with the exception of Hubert, the two of them remaining by Ferdinand's side. She moved him carefully to ensure he was comfortable and picked up the arrow he had been biting down on. He had been biting it so hard that there were indentations in the hard wood from his teeth.

"Would you like me to stay with him, Your Majesty?" Hubert asked her, frowning. "You should go get some rest as well."

"I'll stay until he wakes up," Edelgard said. "I owe him that much. You, on the other hand, don't have any reason to stay. If you would like to get a few hours of sleep, you should do so."

"Very well. Let me know if there is anything you need." Hubert bowed and swept out of the tent, leaving Edelgard and Ferdinand alone.

Hours passed, and Ferdinand hadn't showed any signs of waking. His breathing was slow and steady and his face was peaceful and no longer etched with pain, but still she couldn't bring herself to leave him. She absently brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead, smiling to herself. Once upon a time, there had been an admittedly one-sided rivalry between them where Ferdinand tried to prove himself superior to her in almost every way imaginable. Back then, she never would have thought he would become so important to her.

Ferdinand stirred at her touch, and Edelgard pulled her hand away as though she had been burned. She watched him closely, but his eyes remained closed even as he started to speak, barely louder than a whisper.

"Edel… gard…"

Her eyes widened. _ _

_ Is he… dreaming about me? _

She sat quietly and listened with bated breath, waiting for him to say more, but no more words came. Even so, her heart was pounding, and she swore she could hear it in the silence of that tent.

********************

Edelgard slowly lowered herself into the bath with a contented sigh, tipping her head back against the edge of the tub and closing her eyes. The heat felt great on her aching muscles and she allowed herself to sink down until only her nose and eyes were above the water, her platinum hair spread around her shoulders like spun silver. She sat there motionless for quite some time, the warmth gradually dulling the troubled thoughts flitting through her mind like butterflies but not drowning them completely as she'd hoped.

********************

It was almost dawn by the time Ferdinand stirred from his slumber again, and Edelgard hadn't slept a wink. When she heard Ferdinand yawn quietly, she looked over at him and smiled slightly as she saw his eyes finally open. He rubbed at his eyes for a moment with the heels of his palms before blearily regarding his surroundings.

"Where…?"

"You're awake. I'm glad."

Ferdinand looked toward her when she spoke and suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. His eyes widened and he moved to sit up, heedless to his half-dressed state, but Edelgard put a hand on his shoulder to stop him and urged him to lay back down. 

"Take it easy, Ferdinand," she said softly, frowning at him. "Slowly now…"

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

"The sun was setting when you lost consciousness, and it is nearly dawn," Edelgard answered.

"I see… Did you stay with me that whole time?" Ferdinand noted the dark circles under her eyes and frowned. "You didn't sleep."

"I did. Stay with you, that is. I had to make sure you were going to be okay. You were in so much pain you passed out, after all."

"That's…" Ferdinand trailed off, clearly not knowing what to say. He sighed and shook his head, smiling slightly at her. "Thank you, Edelgard. I do appreciate your concern."

"You can thank me by staying in bed today."

"I'm feeling fine now though," he protested.

" _ Just… _ promise me, okay?" Without thinking, she rested a hand against Ferdinand's cheek, her expression soft as she looked at him. "We can make the journey back to Garreg Mach when you are fully rested."

Ferdinand subconsciously leaned into the palm against his cheek, which caused Edelgard to blush as the gravity of the gesture struck her full in the chest and made her heart flutter.  _ What am I doing? _

"Alright… I promise."

"Good. If you need anything, don't hesitate to shout for one of us." Edelgard got up and left Ferdinand's tent without another word, pressing a hand firmly over her chest in a futile attempt to calm her frantic heart.

*****************

Edelgard climbed out of the bath and toweled herself off, tying her wet hair back into a loose ponytail and pulling a simple yet elegant nightgown on as she went back into her bedroom. She had told everyone to use this day to rest from the long journey, and she fully intended to take advantage of the brief respite, herself. She sat in the comfortable chair in front of the fireplace, gazing into its unlit depths in deep thought. Even now, she couldn't stop thinking about that day; the softness of Ferdinand's cheek against her palm, and the way he leaned into the touch…

She jumped when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Only three people ever came up to the third floor, so it could only be Hubert, Byleth… or Ferdinand.

"Who is it?" she called, silently hoping it would be Hubert's voice that answered.

"It's me. Ferdinand."

Edelgard's heart skipped a beat. Of  _ course _ it would be him. Hubert and Byleth were probably too busy enjoying each other's company after their time apart.

"We need to talk," Ferdinand continued, and there was something in his tone that Edelgard couldn't quite place. He didn't sound as confident as he usually did, but was that really all there was to it? Edelgard got up from her chair and crossed the room to the door, opening it and looking up at him. When she saw his cheeks flush, that was when she remembered she was only wearing her nightgown. It was as informal as Ferdinand had ever seen her dressed, and she felt her own cheeks flush with embarrassment. 

"I apologize, I wasn't expecting anyone," she said, trying to hide how flustered she was at being seen this way. "If you give me a few minutes, I can—"

Ferdinand smiled and shook his head, making a valiant effort to keep eye contact with her and not allow his gaze to wander elsewhere.

_ Ever the gentleman, _ Edelgard thought.

"There's no need to go change for my sake," Ferdinand stated. "These are your private quarters, after all, and even an emperor is allowed to relax from time to time. I debated with myself over coming here at all, but I decided it couldn't wait. May I come in?"

Edelgard hesitated a moment before stepping aside and allowing Ferdinand to walk past her into her room, closing the door behind him.

"Please," she invited, sitting back down by the fireplace and motioning for Ferdinand to sit opposite her. He accepted her invitation without protest, sitting down and crossing his legs in front of him. He always looked so elegant and so noble, and there was a time when Edelgard often thought he was trying too hard to keep up appearances. Now, though, she had come to accept that was just how he was as a person. 

"To the point then," he began, his expression suddenly serious as he spoke. "Please, stop me if I am overstepping, but… I couldn't help but notice that since I woke and spoke with you in my tent the morning after Arianrhod, you have been avoiding me at every possible opportunity. At the very least, you have avoided being alone with me. I have to ask, Edelgard, if I have done something to offend you."

Edelgard blinked slowly at him, surprised. Had she truly been avoiding him that obviously? She hadn't even noticed it, herself. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling very small and far too vulnerable for her liking. She should have insisted on changing into something other than her nightgown before letting Ferdinand into her room. Too much of her skin was visible, and even though Ferdinand was being a gentleman, she  _ knew _ he was fully aware of it, too.

"You've done nothing to offend me, Ferdinand, I can promise you that."

"What, then? Are you angry with me?"

"No…"

"Then, I'm afraid I don't understand."

"If there is anger, it is directed toward myself. I allowed myself to let my guard down and because of that, you were very nearly killed."

" _ That's _ what this is about? I've sworn to protect you, or have you forgotten? It was my duty, and regardless of how it turned out, I would have it no other way. Because of what I did, you're still—"

"This goes beyond duty, Ferdinand!" Her raising her voice made Ferdinand trail off and look at her in shock. "If you were killed due to my own stupid mistake, I… I wouldn't forgive myself. I couldn't."

Ferdinand's eyes softened when he heard the slight wavering of Edelgard's voice and he smiled warmly at her. "Were you truly that worried about me?"

"I was terrified." It was easier to admit to him than Edelgard originally thought, and just like that, it all came rushing out of her. "When you lost consciousness, I feared you would never open your eyes again. Lysithea assured me you were going to be fine, but there was still a part of me that was preparing to… to say goodbye." She swallowed heavily, gazing at the man across from her with shiny, lilac eyes. "You have become very important to me, Ferdinand, and I… I dreaded losing you."

"Edelgard…" Ferdinand seemed to consider something for a moment before he leaned across the space between them and lightly rested a hand over one of hers. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "You are right about one thing: protecting you does go beyond my duty to the emperor. At one time, that may have been all it was, but now…" He trailed off and chuckled quietly, closing his eyes and shaking his head incredulously. "Goodness, just listen to me. I must sound so foolish to you."

"Not at all." Edelgard sat more forward in her chair and placed her other hand over his so that his hand was between both of her own. The blush that colored his cheeks didn't escape her notice. "Please, go on."

"What I'm trying to say is, you are very important to me, too. As my emperor, and as the one I… um…" Ferdinand glanced off to the side, his free hand scrubbing over his face and remaining over his mouth and nose in a futile attempt to hide the rosy hue deepening on his cheeks. 

Edelgard feared her heart might beat right out of her chest. She brought a hand up slowly to rest against Ferdinand's cheek, smiling at how warm he felt. She was sitting on the very edge of her chair now with her knees touching his, and she started leaning forward, suddenly emboldened. Ferdinand's eyes widened when he noticed the distance closing between them and he too began to lean in toward her, the hand previously covering the lower half of his face now cupping Edelgard's cheek. 

"Edelgard, I…"

"Sometimes, Ferdinand," she whispered, close enough now that she could feel the heat of Ferdinand's breath on her lips as he spoke, "you talk far too much." Her lips found his, a chaste, intimate touch that was barely more than a feather-light caress. Ferdinand inhaled slowly through his nose at the contact, closing his eyes and returning the kiss. It was shy and soft and sweet, and Edelgard couldn't help but smile against his lips.

Their mouths parted after a few seconds and Edelgard rested her forehead against his, blushing deeply and gazing into his eyes as her hand moved to push a lock of his thick, soft hair behind his ear and away from his face.

"Well…" Ferdinand cleared his throat quietly, smiling shyly at the beautiful young woman in front of him. "That was, uh…"

"Nice," Edelgard whispered.

" _ Unexpected _ is the word I was going to use," he stated. "But… yes.  _ Nice _ is good, too."

Edelgard laughed softly and then Ferdinand was kissing her again, and any worries Edelgard had, melted away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's three pairings in this fic now, haha. I cannot and will not be stopped!!!
> 
> See y'all in the next one!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the conquest of Arianrhod, Lord Arundel arrives at Garreg Mach to speak with Edelgard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this took so long!!!!! COVID-19 happened, then I lost my father to cancer in March, and then I just couldn’t get motivated to continue this... I’m doing my best to finish it now, though. I promised you all an ending to this story, and it is coming. You just have to continue to be patient with me. <3 Thank you so much for your understanding.

"How soon can we expect another garrison to arrive at Arianrhod?"

"A few days, Your Majesty," Hubert responded confidently, looking up from the war table. "That is, provided there are no complications."

"Good."

Byleth thoughtfully rubbed her round belly as Edelgard and Hubert discussed next steps, frowning at the pieces laid out on the war table. Taking Arianrhod was very advantageous for them, but it would be like throwing something highly combustible onto an open flame. King Dimitri would surely be furious, and if she knew him as well as she thought she did, he would retaliate hard and fast.

The three gathered around the war table looked toward the door when it opened and Ferdinand strode in. He bowed his head politely to Edelgard, a gloved hand on his chest.

"Forgive the interruption," he said, standing tall and looking at Edelgard with a small frown, "but your uncle just arrived."

Edelgard sighed. "Tell Lord Arundel that I am busy. I will have an audience with him once we are finished here."

Ferdinand shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other, brow furrowed. "I told him exactly that when he arrived, but I'm afraid he's being very insistent."

Byleth and Hubert shared a look before turning their attention toward Edelgard, matching frowns on their faces.

"Fine," Edelgard said coolly after a minute's contemplation. "Tell him I will meet him in the audience chamber. Hubert, Byleth, would you two care to join me?"

"I was going to insist upon it," Hubert stated. Byleth smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder, feeling him relax slightly at her touch. She knew how he felt about Lord Arundel, and she had to admit she wasn't a fan of him either. He gave her a bad feeling, and those eyes of his were always so cold; sinister.

Hubert, Byleth and Edelgard made their way to the audience chamber as Ferdinand went to fetch Arundel, and it wasn't more than ten minutes before he returned with him following close behind. He seemed calm enough, but those eyes… Byleth could tell that he was practically vibrating with quiet fury. She clasped her hands protectively in front of her pregnant belly, glancing quietly at Hubert.

"Hello, uncle," Edelgard greeted the dark-haired man, smiling calmly at him. "If this visit couldn't wait until my briefing was finished, it must be important." 

"There has been some disturbing news of late fluttering about on the lips of Kingdom birds," Arundel began coolly. "News of Cornelia's murder, by beheading."

"And?"

Byleth could have sworn she saw Arundel's eye twitch slightly. "She was going to betray the Kingdom, Your Majesty. She would have been a valuable asset — "

"I did what I had to," Edelgard stated with a frown, crossing her arms. "The woman couldn't be trusted, and the Titanus at her disposal couldn't be, either. Our efforts in this war will be better with Arianrhod's strategic position available for us to utilize, Lord Arundel."

Arundel's shoulders tensed with anger and his icy gaze moved from Edelgard, to Hubert, before it finally rested on Byleth. His eyes trailed down her body to behold her round belly and widened minutely at the sight. Noting the path of his gaze, Hubert's brow furrowed and he positioned himself carefully between Arundel and Byleth. Byleth set a hand on her stomach and took a small step back. She didn't like the look Arundel had given her, and she liked his faint smirk even less. Arundel turned his head to look at Edelgard once more, suddenly seeming as though all his previous anger had just melted away into nothing.

"You should take care, dear niece," he said. "The Empire may yet become another Arianrhod if you continue to make such rash decisions in the future."

Edelgard bristled slightly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Your concerns have been noted, uncle. Ferdinand, if you would be so kind as to see Lord Arundel out?"

Ferdinand bowed his head politely. "Of course." With that, the two men left the audience chamber. Byleth watched Edelgard silently from behind Hubert, frowning at her. Judging from the expression on the young woman's face, she clearly wasn't the only one made uneasy by Arundel's cryptic warning.

_ What could he have meant by that? _

Five whole days passed after Arundel's visit without incident. Byleth and Hubert were at the marketplace one afternoon, perusing the stalls for new weaponry while also enjoying each other's company in the very rare downtime that they shared, when that streak ended.

"Please, open the gates!" It was a woman's shriek, and she sounded terrified. Hubert and Byleth came running immediately, Hubert barking an order to the man atop the wall to open the gate at once. The gate had barely lifted six feet off the ground before the young woman was sprinting inside, collapsing to all fours on the cobblestones and hyperventilating as tears streamed down her cheeks. Hubert knelt beside her, brow furrowed.

"Fleche, what's happened?" he asked urgently. "You were part of the garrison sent to Arianrhod, yes? Why are you here and not there with your brother?"

"My brother…" Fleche choked out a sob, shaking her head violently. "Randolph is dead… T-they're _ all _ dead…!"

Byleth felt her blood run cold. Hubert was silent for a few seconds, processing the news with a grim expression on his face. The hustle and bustle of the marketplace had died so much that one would have been able to hear a pin drop.

"What do you mean they're all dead?" Hubert asked coolly. "The garrison we sent with you was one thousand soldiers strong. Even if any resistance remained in Arianrhod, they would have never been able to overpower them."

"It wasn't soldiers," Fleche cried, looking up at Hubert with wide eyes. There was such horror in those eyes that Byleth couldn't help but believe her. "They were… I've never seen anything like them. Huge shafts of light… javelins?... raining from the sky… No warning, no sound… Everything was fine until it wasn't! It only lasted a couple of minutes, a-and then… they… they…!"

"Were there any other survivors?" Byleth asked, kneeling beside Fleche and setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. She was still so young, and to have seen such horrible things… It was unthinkable.

"There were five, including myself, b-but they… w-we were set upon by beasts a couple of days ago and they told me to run. I wanted to stay and fight with them, b-but they told me I had to make it back. I had to make it back and tell Her Majesty what happened! I thought they would follow me when the beasts were taken care of, b-but… I never saw them again after that."

"We must go to Arianrhod ourselves to see exactly what transpired — "

"_You aren't_ _listening to me!_" Fleche screamed, catching Hubert by surprise. "It's not just our troops who are gone. Those javelins of light or whatever they were, they… they _leveled_ the entire city in _minutes!_ Arianrhod is _gone!_ There… there weren't even any bodies left behind…" Fleche collapsed into tears then, sobbing in Byleth's arms and shaking like a leaf.

"I… I can't even give Randolph a proper burial now… H-he's just… gone… F-forever…"

While Byleth held Fleche in her arms in an attempt to calm the girl, she looked up at Hubert with dread. If what Fleche said was true, the war had gotten far more dangerous than they realized. Just what sort of horrible power did Rhea's army possess?

"We need to inform Her Majesty of this," Hubert said, his tone low and dire. "Now."

***********

Edelgard was white as a ghost when Hubert told her what had transpired. Nearly a third of her army was unaccounted for, and now one of their major conquests and advantages against Rhea and the Kingdom lay in ruins. She bent slowly over the war table, her hands clenched into fists and her jaw tight with anger. Her uncle's words echoed in her mind.

_ "The Empire may yet become another Arianrhod if you continue to make such rash decisions in the future." _

"Lord Arundel did this," she stated, her voice clipped with thinly veiled fury.

"The timing does seem suspicious," Byleth agreed, hugging herself and shivering at the thought of how he had looked at her that day in the audience chamber. "But… why would he do something like this? I thought he was supposed to be our ally."

Hubert scoffed. "'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' as the saying goes. He did it to prove a point. This attack seems all too similar to the legends surrounding Ailell, Your Majesty. It would be foolish to think there is no connection."

"What are you saying, Hubert?" Edelgard asked.

"Those Who Slither In the Dark are responsible for this. Our partnership was tenuous at best… but it would appear their usefulness has run out."

"Maybe not," Edelgard mused, crossing her arms as she gazed thoughtfully at the map before her. "Inconvenient as it is that we have lost Arianrhod, we have gained something as well."

Hubert's eyes widened minutely when he grasped the meaning behind Edelgard's words and he smiled with a light chuckle. "I see… Very clever."

Byleth looked between them with a frown, her brow furrowed with frustration. "Am I missing something?"

"The true culprits behind Arianrhod's destruction are known only to the three of us," Edelgard stated. "If we make it known to everyone else that it was the _ Church _ who did it…"

"… more will join our ranks to fight it," Byleth finished for her when she followed Edelgard's train of thought. "And those who do will fight even harder against it."

"Precisely. Hubert, start making preparations. We will march on Fhirdiad by the end of the month, and we will end this once and for all. As for you, Byleth…" Edelgard looked pointedly at the obvious swell of Byleth's stomach, her expression softening with a fond smile. "You will remain here, where it is safe."

Hubert frowned. He knew it was necessary that Byleth remain at Garreg Mach, since she was so far along in her pregnancy — Manuela had told the two of them that she was just a few short months from giving birth — but he hated the idea of having to leave her again. The monastery would be guarded, of course, but the majority of their army would be headed straight to Fhirdiad. With nearly a third of their forces wiped out at Arianrhod, they had to make do with even less.

"I know," Byleth said, one hand on her stomach. She could see Hubert's apprehension plain on his face, and she gave him as reassuring a smile as she could muster. "Don't worry, Hubert. I'll be fine."

"Your Majesty, who can we spare to keep watch here while we are gone?" Hubert asked.

"From the Black Eagle Strike Force, you mean?" Edelgard thought about it for a minute, and Byleth was surprised by how quickly she came to a decision. "Shamir."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I was hoping you'd—"

"I'm not finished. Jeritza will remain with her as well."

Byleth was shocked. The Death Knight was one of their strongest warriors. She had been certain he would be marching on Fhirdiad with them. That Edelgard would leave him behind was unthinkable to her. Hubert, however, seemed mostly relieved by the decision. Mostly.

“Are you sure that’s alright?” Byleth asked with uncertainty. “He would be useful in Fhirdiad.”

“None is more capable of being your bodyguard than Jeritza,” Edelgard stated, “and he would never betray the Empire.”

“She’s right, Byleth,” Hubert said. “Fearsome as he is when he is the Death Knight, he does know where his loyalty lies.”

Byleth didn’t argue. Hubert was better than most at weeding out liars and traitors; if he also placed his trust in Jeritza, then how could she do anything else? She resigned herself to Edelgard’s decision and nodded. Edelgard smiled.

“Good. Now… Hubert, summon the others. We have much to do.”

*****************

“Are you certain, Thales?”

“I know what I saw. The Fell Star… is with child.”

“Remarkable… How are we to proceed?”

“Worry not. All of the pieces will fall into place soon. _ Very _ soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next one, hopefully soon!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which serious conversations are had, and true feelings come to light. The calm before the storm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another transition chapter. Sorry y’all, I promise some good shit is coming, lol. I’m working up to it.

Garreg Mach was a frenzy of activity over the coming week. Byleth didn’t know how any of her former students managed to get any sleep on top of all their preparation. Perhaps they didn’t. She wanted to help, but Hubert and Edelgard refused to let her do anything substantial in her condition and it was becoming more and more frustrating with each passing day. 

“I understand their concern,” she confided in Manuela while the healer checked her over and made sure her pregnancy was still progressing as it should, “but I can’t stand feeling so useless. I should be helping them prepare for the battle that’s to come, but instead, all I can do is give them words of encouragement.”

“I fail to see how boosting their morale with encouraging words is useless,” Manuela said, getting up from her stool to wash her hands in the nearby basin while Byleth pulled the bottom of her dress back down over her knees. “That little bit goes much further than you realize.”

“Maybe so,” Byleth sighed, “but I’m a warrior. My place is on the battlefield, fighting alongside them; making sure they all return home.”

“You are also heavily pregnant and a soon-to-be mother.” Manuela’s voice was firm. “Young as they are, they aren’t children anymore, Byleth. They are every bit as capable a warrior as you are. And… if nothing else, your condition is giving Hubert something greater to fight for than his Emperor.”

Byleth blushed, a sense of shame sweeping through her as she lowered her head. She knew Manuela was right, and she said as much.

“I’m sorry… I’m being selfish, I know. I’m just so  _ bored _ .”

Manuela laughed and soon, Byleth joined her.

“Maybe you should get a hobby, then.”

“Oh, really? And what are  _ your _ hobbies, Manuela, beyond sneaking peeks at Sylvain and Felix while they train?”

Manuela pursed her lips in a pout, crossing her arms and huffing indignantly. 

“I’m just… making sure those boys don’t overdo it! I’m sick of having to patch them up!”

Byleth just grinned.

*************

“I have… no idea… what you’re talking about,” Edelgard said firmly, swinging her axe fiercely at the training dummy between every few syllables. She panted heavily, pausing for only a moment to wipe some sweat from her brow. She had been training more heavily than usual all week, and Dorothea had taken it upon herself to make sure she didn’t totally wear herself out to the point of exhaustion.

“Oh, come off it, Edie,” Dorothea said in a sing-song tone, giggling at the murderous look the pale-haired young woman sent her way. “I’ve seen how you’ve been looking at Ferdie lately. I can tell you’re trying to be discreet about it, but…”

“You’re imagining things, Dorothea.”

“Oh, I’m definitely not. Come  _ on _ , Edie… Do you really think I’m just going to blab about this to anyone else? We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Edelgard sighed, frowning slightly at the former songstress.  _ Perhaps I am only making her more suspicious with my silence… _

“Fine. But you must promise not to tell a soul, Dorothea. Not one.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“After what happened to him in Arianrhod, I’ve come to realize how much I… I…”

“How much you…?”

Edelgard hesitated, looking away with a dusting of pink across her face that had nothing to do with physical exertion.

“How much he means to me. And… how much I need him.”

Dorothea gasped softly, her eyes wide and sparkling with delight at Edelgard’s admission. Edelgard’s blush only deepened at her reaction.

“Oh,  _ Edie _ … You’re in love!”

“Not so loud…!”

“Sorry! Sorry. Have you told him?”

“Not exactly…”

Edelgard told Dorothea all about the night they returned to Garreg Mach from Arianrhod, when he had come to her room to talk; when she had kissed him by the fireplace. After the kiss ended, Ferdinand told her he loved her… but Edelgard hadn’t been able to return those three little words. She wanted to, but they kept getting caught in her throat. What if she said them, and it spelled his doom? She had loved her siblings deeply… and none of them survived. What if this was the same? What if she told Ferdinand she loved him, and it put a target on his back? In the wake of her silence, he had just smiled and kissed her one more time before bidding her goodnight, but something in his eyes had seemed sad. Disappointed.  _ Hurt. _

“Edelgard, you have to tell him how you feel. If you don’t, and something happens to him… you will regret not telling him.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Edelgard said quietly. “But… how should I tell him? I’m not exactly well-versed in this sort of thing…”

“Be direct. Tell him tonight, before we all have to leave in the morning. You might not get another chance.”

*************

“Ferdinand.”

The redhead looked up from the armor he was oiling, frowning at the raven-haired man for a moment before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

“Good evening, Hubert. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked. “Hopefully you don’t mind if I continue this. I’m not trying to be rude. It’s just, if I stop halfway—”

“Do what you must. I require only a few minutes of your time… Might I ask something of you?”

“Are you asking, or are you instructing?” Ferdinand’s voice was clipped as he spoke, glancing only briefly in Hubert’s direction. The two didn’t see eye to eye on many things, though that wasn’t the cause of Ferdinand’s less than affable tone this time. Sleep had evaded him for nearly two full days, so he was exhausted. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m still in the middle of carrying out your  _ last _ instruction.”

“I don’t much care for your tone, Ferdinand, but I’m not here to argue,” Hubert stated. “Her Majesty would like you to meet her in her quarters after sundown. She said there is something you need to discuss before we depart tomorrow. And… I have a favor to ask. A personal one, from one man to another.”

The oiled cloth Ferdinand was holding stilled momentarily on the smooth metal under it. Curious, Ferdinand looked up at Hubert again. The look on Hubert’s face was one he couldn’t place, and it made him uneasy. He frowned, slowly returning to his task.

“What do you need?”

“The road ahead of us is a difficult one,” Hubert began, walking past Ferdinand and resting a gloved hand on the window as he gazed thoughtfully at the gradually darkening sky above the monastery grounds. “Soon, the victor of this war will be decided, but no victory comes without cost. Some of us may leave here tomorrow and not return.”

Ferdinand’s brow furrowed. He really didn’t like where this conversation was going. “What is this about, Hubert? Please, speak plainly.”

“Very well. If I am felled in the battle ahead, I want you to take care of Byleth and my… my child. Shelter them; keep them safe. When my child is grown, ensure they know that my absence from their life was not something I wanted, but something that needed to happen; that I died to ensure their future.”

Ferdinand’s task had been forgotten halfway through Hubert’s request, his eyes wide and his hands still as he looked up at the mage in disbelief. 

“Hubert—”

“Swear it,” Hubert interrupted firmly, turning to look at him. The plea in his pale green eyes brought Ferdinand pause. Hubert’s throat worked as he swallowed, his jaw tense. “Swear that you will do as I ask.”

A heavy silence fell between them, the gravity of Hubert’s request weighing on Ferdinand’s mind. Finally, the redhead nodded. Hubert’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“I swear.”

**************

Ferdinand made his way up the dark stairwell to the top floor of the monastery, his boots echoing on the stone steps. Soon enough, he was in front of the large doors to Edelgard’s quarters and he knocked, wincing slightly at how loud it was in the otherwise silent space. As much as he had been looking forward to turning in early for the night so he could finally get in a few hours of sleep, he couldn’t refuse a summons from Edelgard when it was given.

“Come in,” came Edelgard’s muffled voice. Ferdinand pushed the door open and stepped across the threshold, closing the door behind him. The room was lit only by a candle beside the bed and seated on the edge of the bed was the Emperor herself. She was dressed for sleep, but she didn’t look tired. Her lilac eyes followed Ferdinand’s every movement, and he could feel his heart starting to pound.

“Lock the doors.”

“Edelgard, what—”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Ferdinand did as he was told and locked the door, swallowing heavily and feeling his face get hot. When Edelgard told him to come forward, he did so apprehensively. What had gotten into her? When he was close enough, Edelgard reached for him and grabbed his hand, weaving her fingers around his and tugging him forward. He lost his balance, catching himself by pressing one knee into the mattress so that he wouldn’t fall on top of her. His face was just inches from hers, her breath warm on his lips. It was the closest they had gotten since that night in front of the fireplace.

“Edelgard,” he breathed, gaze flicking briefly to her full lips.  _ Oh, goddess…  _

“I love you, Ferdinand.” Edelgard smiled up at him, blushing deeply. It had taken a lot of courage for her to say it, but now that she had, her chest didn’t feel as tight. “I wanted to say it that night, but—” She was interrupted by Ferdinand pulling her into a kiss and she shivered with delight, pulling him down on top of her as she lay back on the bed. He slowly pulled away from the kiss when he realized the compromising position they were in, his eyes wide. Edelgard worried her lip with her teeth, eyes shimmering.

“Ferdinand… stay with me tonight.” She spoke in hushed tones, and Ferdinand could have sworn his heart was in his throat when he realized what she was really asking. He frowned down at her, unsure.

“Edelgard, are… are you sure about this?”

“We could both die by the time this war is over… I don’t want to die not knowing what it feels like. Do you?” 

He was powerless against that look in her eyes. He kissed her again, and all his reservations disappeared. He knew she was right, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile against Edelgard’s and he pulled away for just a moment so he could speak, his voice low.

“This may be the first time, but it will not be the last; I have no intention of dying in Fhirdiad. Do you?”

“...No.”

Clothes were shed and the dimly lit room was filled with soft susurrations of pleasure as they explored each other over the next several minutes. The fiery-red of Ferdinand’s hair mingled on the blanket with the platinum silk that was Edelgard’s, and the latter shivered pleasantly as Ferdinand’s lips found her throat. One of his hands slid down the curve of her rear, pulling her tighter to him and causing them both to gasp when his erection rubbed up against her. She was already so wet, and he had barely done anything.

He continued to gently thrust against her without breaching her, relishing in every sound of pleasure and every twitch of her thighs around his hips. 

"Please, Ferdinand," Edelgard whispered into his ear, breath hitching as his cock rubbed against her clit in just the right way.

"Are you sure you're ready? I don't want to hurt you…"

"I'll let you know if you're hurting me."

"I'll hold you to that…" Ferdinand carefully pushed into the wet cavern, groaning softly with bliss as Edelgard's heat engulfed the sensitive tip. She was so tight, and it felt better than he could have imagined, but he forced himself to move slowly so she could adjust to the intrusion.

Edelgard wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, gasping into the side of his neck when he entered her. It did hurt, but the pain quickly gave way to pleasure when Ferdinand started moving. She could feel every inch of him, and it was simultaneously too much and not enough. Ferdinand's movements were measured and careful, and the quiet moans and whispers of adoration he uttered close to her ear made her skin prickle with delight. Ferdinand was so honest in everything he did; it was no surprise that sex would be no different. She dragged her nails slowly down his back, breath hitching when it made him change the angle of his thrusts. Her fingertips slid over the slightly raised scar tissue that remained from the wound he had suffered in Arianrhod, and her chest tightened.

_ He nearly died for me. _

Edelgard's eyes burned with tears and she stubbornly closed her eyes to them, arching under Ferdinand when he struck something deep inside her that lit every nerve in her body on fire. She was so very close, teetering on the edge of ecstasy but unable to pitch over it. She put her hands on Ferdinand's chest and pushed against him until he got the hint and rolled onto his back and she got on top of him, taking his cock in her hand and guiding it back into her with a soft gasp. His hands on her thighs grounded her as she rolled her hips over him, gasping his name when he hit that spot deep inside her again. Fire ripped through her as she was finally pitched over that edge, uttering a desperate cry.

Ferdinand gazed up at her as though she were something otherworldly, his eyelashes fluttering for a moment against his cheeks and his fingertips digging into her thighs when he felt her inner walls ripple and squeeze around him. He throbbed inside her, groaning breathily.

"E-Edelgard… I'm…" 

Realizing that he was about to come and not wanting to risk an unwanted pregnancy, Edelgard slid off him so she was only rubbing herself against the underside of his cock, and it only took a minute of this for Ferdinand to unravel beneath her, thin ropes of semen splashing across his abdomen and chest. She remained straddling his hips, their breaths uneven as their heart rates gradually slowed. Her guard lowered considerably by the remaining tremors in her core, the dam finally broke.

When Ferdinand felt something drip onto his cheeks, he opened his eyes and his heart twisted at the sight before him. He brought a hand up to cup the side of her face, his thumb brushing the drops of moisture from her flushed skin. 

"What's wrong? Did… did I hurt you?"

Edelgard's hands clenched into fists on Ferdinand's chest and her lip quivered slightly as one by one, fat tears continued to fall. It felt strange, showing such vulnerability to anyone… but she knew she could trust Ferdinand to keep it to himself. Even Hubert, who had always known her better than anyone, had never seen her cry like this.

"Edelgard," Ferdinand said, his voice heavy with worry, "please answer me."

"You didn't hurt me," Edelgard answered softly.

"Then why—"

"I know it is your duty to put your life on the line for me, but… I don't care. S-swear to me that I won't have to bury you, too… Please…"

Ferdinand's expression softened and he sat up, resting his forehead against hers and holding her face delicately between his strong hands. He kissed her tears away, smiling.

"We'll both make it back to Enbarr alive, Edelgard. And, when we do… would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Edelgard's lilac eyes widened as her gaze met his. 

"What…?"

"Don't make me repeat myself." Ferdinand's eyes glinted with mischief and he grinned smugly as he tossed her earlier words back at her. He was pleased when they drew a short laugh from her.

"Idiot…"

"Is that a yes?" When she kissed him and pushed him back down onto the bed, that was all the answer he needed. That night, he fell asleep feeling like the happiest man alive, even knowing what the next morning would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed. Hope to see you in the next one!


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